Gov’t begins developing app for public transport

AMMAN — Commuters and economists have welcomed the government’s plan to launch an application improving public transport services to bolster the participation of women in the workforce.

On Thursday, the Transport Ministry started developing a mobile application to serve as a communication platform between users and authorities, with the aim of enhancing confidence in the public transport system.

During her participation in the meetings of the UN’s Economic and Social Committee under the framework of "Addressing Obstacles to Women's Economic Participation in the Arab World", Secretary-General of the Ministry of Transport Wissam Al Tahtamoni said that the project focuses on providing safe transport for women to increase their participation in the labour market, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
Later in a statement, Tahtamoni said that the proportion of women's participation in the labour market is disproportionately low when compared to their educational qualifications.

She attributed this to several reasons, the most important of which are the lack of a safe means of transport, high transport costs and a lack of sufficient services.
Women’s economic participation in Jordan stands at 14.3 per cent, according to a report by the Workers’ House, a local NGO concerned with labour affairs.

Economist Wajdi Makhamreh said an efficient transport system plays a major role in encouraging women to join the workforce, especially in rural areas.

“The high cost coupled with the lack of an easy and appropriate means of transport affects women's work and excludes them from work,” Makhamreh said.

“The cost of transport borne by women, in addition to the wage gap and lower wages, pose an obstacle to women’s economic participation,” economist Hosam Ayesh told The Jordan Times.

Dalal Khalil, a teacher who commutes daily between Amman and Madaba, said that she does not feel comfortable using public transport due to overcrowding. However, there are no other options, she said.

“Due to the distance between my work and home, I have to leave the house very early, even sometimes, before sunrise,” she said.