Intentions of female students to ride two-wheelers in Pakistan: effects of perceptions about religious, cultural, harassment, and safety concerns

Females often encounter mobility restrictions across different regions of the world, adversely affecting their prospects for livelihood and quality of life by restricting their mobility choices. When it comes to the independent traveling of females on two-wheelers especially in the developing countries, the influence of cultural, religious, harassment and safety concerns is undeniable. This study aims at investigating the association between religious, cultural, harassment and safety factors on the intentions of female students to ride two-wheelers (scooty). A questionnaire survey was conducted in Lahore and a total of 1007 complete responses were collected. Structural equation modeling was performed to investigate the hypothesized relationships. The findings indicate that religious beliefs and perceived level of harassment positively correlate with culture regarding females riding two-wheelers. Further, religious and safety concern variables displayed a negative structural relationship with intentions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study which assessed the impact of religious, cultural, harassment, and safety concern factors on the intentions of female students to ride two-wheelers in a developing country. The findings of this research study can provide insights to transport planners and decision-makers for the promotion of independent mobility options such as two-wheelers for female students.