The affects and emotions of everyday commutes in Kolkata: shaping women’s public transport mobility
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Date
2025
Subject Area
place - asia, planning - methods, planning - personal safety/crime, planning - surveys, policy - equity, ridership - commuting
Keywords
Affective atmospheres, emotions, acceptability, public transport, India
Abstract
Public transport inherently involves encounters with other people. For women, negotiating everyday overcrowded, unsafe, and unreliable conditions is a major barrier to accessing public transport mobility that triggers emotions. Using qualitative research methods – in-depth interviews and visual surveys – this study delves beyond understanding the barriers and looks at the affective realm to comprehend how affects and emotions shape accessibility, acceptability, and affordability of public transport for women in Kolkata. The disruptive affects of overcrowded, unsafe, and unreliable conditions produce emotional ordeals, increase travel time and costs, and restrict mobility. The sense of despair that emerges compels women to adjust, accept, and even opt out of overcrowded, unsafe, and unreliable public transport more often than not. This paper argues that affects, emotions, reactions, and consequences are entangled and impact the accessibility, acceptability, and affordability of public transport. The contribution of this paper lies in bringing to the fore the need for feminist inquiries into gendered mobility inequalities and the role of affects and emotions therein.
Rights
Permission to publish the abstract has been given by Taylor&Francis, copyright remains with them.
Recommended Citation
Roy, S., Bailey, A., & van Noorloos, F. (2025). The affects and emotions of everyday commutes in Kolkata: shaping women’s public transport mobility. Mobilities, 20(1), 125-142.
