TransKarachi & LUMS sign MoU to promote gender equality in public transport

LAHORE: TransKarachi, a public sector company established and owned by the Government of Sindh to carry out the project implementation of the $504 million Karachi Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Red Line, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), with the UrbanTech Pakistan team at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).

Following the collaboration, TransKarachi and LUMS will take initiatives to become true advocates of gender equality in public transport by collaborating on technological interventions, trainings, lectures, seminars, other capacity building programs and awareness campaigns focused on smooth urban mobility and gender mainstreaming. The two parties will also work on research projects and papers by executing joint surveys, focus group discussions and interviews to address and prevent sexual harassment and gender-based violence and gauge the effectiveness of legal remedies and redressal mechanisms.

To mark the occasion, an MoU signing ceremony was held at LUMS on 22nd August, between the members of TransKarachi and Urraan; an initiative of the UrbanTech Pakistan project at LUMS, with a goal to gain an in-depth understanding of the challenges faced by women while utilizing public transport & to explore potential solutions for them.

Present at the occasion from TransKarachi were, Wasif Ijlal, CEO and Barrister Maham Durrani, Gender Specialist while Dr Suleman Shahid, Co-Principal Investigator of UrbanTech Pakistan & Assistant Professor, and Sana Riaz, Urban Policy Consultant represented LUMS.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022