VREF RESEARCH PROJECT: Investigating young men’s experiences of walking to the ‘bus’ in low-income neighbourhoods of Cape Town and London

18th February 2025

Project background

This VREF-funded project was led by Durham University, with Transaid and the University of the Western Cape as implementing partners, between February and December 2023. This research was a comparative study built around a community peer research methodology to improve our understanding of the challenges that young men between the ages of 18 and 35 encounter when accessing public transport. In London, Transaid targeted one inner and one outer London borough, recruiting six peer researchers in total, delivering training over four days covering topics such as research ethics, informed consent, and survey design as well as the practical application of these learnings.

Results

On completion of the training, peer researchers were asked to conduct 11 interviews and write 11 mobility diaries each. The interviews targeted male friends, family members, and work colleagues to explore their challenges in ‘walking to the bus’, while the mobility diaries explored the daily experiences of the peer researchers themselves moving around the areas where they live. In both London and Cape Town it was common for young men to employ tactics to stay safe when walking, whether it was the way people dressed, walking tall (with confidence), minding your own business, avoiding eye contact as well as certain areas such as subways or open spaces, entering shops to avoid groups of people. The findings of this research will form the basis of a journal article in 2024.

Preliminary findings were presented at key stakeholder workshops in London and Cape Town. In London, stakeholders included representatives from the local authorities, transport and metropolitan police, and public transport providers, with a view to exploring ways in which this research could support their work.