How does transport scarcity affect the everyday lives of women? Herstories of daily mobility in Santiago de Cuba

Abstract

Daily mobility in the city of Santiago de Cuba relies almost entirely on public transport (PT) and walking, making it one of the least carbon-intensive urban transport systems globally. Nevertheless, the local PT network faces numerous challenges. Material scarcity, which has persisted since the 1990s, has intensified in the last five years due to the tightening US-imposed embargos, recurring oil shortages, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The lack of fuel, vehicles, and spare parts has led to transport scarcity, the severe reduction of the quality of PT services. In this context, we aim to explore (1) how women experience mobility within the context of transport scarcity, and (2) how transport scarcity affects the everyday lives of women—attending to their travel behaviour, experiences, coping strategies, and preferences. Additionally, we seek to explain how these mobility challenges influence other social roles and engagement of women passengers in their daily activities. We observe that women, who frequently combine the roles of wage earners and primary caregivers, often experience heightened levels of stress and a shortage of sleep, due to their constrained time availability. The unreliability and unpredictability of the local transport system exacerbate the difficulty of planning daily activities. Mobility typically requires a substantial commitment of time and effort, which passengers can mitigate only by significantly increasing their expenses on mobility. Waiting at a PT stop demands an active engagement, involving a constant search for travel opportunities. This process is often facilitated by mutual support among passengers, and interactions with transport workers. Passenger experiences frequently occur in overcrowded and uncomfortable conditions, which are particularly challenging for senior, pregnant, or menstruating women, as well as women travelling with children.