{"id":212421,"date":"2026-03-25T12:04:53","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T12:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/study-reveals-four-in-ten-women-feel-insecure-using-costa-rican-public-transportation\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T12:04:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T12:04:54","slug":"study-reveals-four-in-ten-women-feel-insecure-using-costa-rican-public-transportation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/study-reveals-four-in-ten-women-feel-insecure-using-costa-rican-public-transportation\/","title":{"rendered":"Study Reveals Four in Ten Women Feel Insecure Using Costa Rican Public Transportation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div>\n<div class=\"visual__image image-initial-width\">\n<picture><source  media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\"\/><source  media=\"(min-width: 768px)\"\/><source  media=\"(min-width: 580px)\"\/><source  media=\"(min-width: 350px)\"\/><source  media=\"(min-width: 80px)\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"article-figcaption-img\">40% of women in Costa Rica feel unsafe when using public transportation. (Courtesy: Public Transportation Council)<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<h2>Insecurity in Costa Rican Public Transport<\/h2>\n<p>The use of public transportation in Costa Rica has turned into a source of tension for approximately <strong>40% of women<\/strong>, according to a recent study conducted by a <strong>Social Work<\/strong> student from the <strong>University of Costa Rica (UCR)<\/strong>, in collaboration with the <strong>Regulatory Authority of Public Services (Aresep)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3>Growing Concern Over Harassment<\/h3>\n<p>The phenomenon of <strong>harassment in public transport<\/strong> is not new to Central America. Nevertheless, the study revealed a rising perception of insecurity among women, particularly in <strong>rural areas<\/strong>, where long travel times often coincide with limited bus service and insufficient staff presence.<\/p>\n<h3>Protocol Against Harassment: Ineffective Implementation<\/h3>\n<p>Although there is a formal protocol designed to combat sexual harassment, its inadequate application means that many women remain unprotected. Surveyed participants reported that, despite being aware of the protocol\u2019s existence, they encountered insufficient enforcement in real-world situations.<\/p><figcaption class=\"jwplayer-figcaption\">A university report found that many female commuters feel vulnerable on public transportation. (Courtesy: Telenoticias)<\/figcaption><h2>Staff Response to Incidents<\/h2>\n<p>Data indicated that <strong>30% of women<\/strong> faced harassment incidents where bus staff failed to intervene. This lack of action exacerbates feelings of vulnerability among passengers, particularly since many reported that harassment occurred both inside buses and at stops.<\/p>\n<h3>The Lack of Trained Personnel<\/h3>\n<p>One of the key findings was the significant shortfall in <strong>trained personnel<\/strong> within the transport sector. This gap directly impacts both the security of female passengers and the effectiveness of measures against harassment.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We need to enhance awareness and information within public services,&#8221; stated Allison Chevez, a social worker involved in the research. &#8220;Women must feel empowered to report incidents, but staff also need to know how to respond appropriately.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"visual__image\">\n<picture><source  media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\"\/><source  media=\"(min-width: 768px)\"\/><source  media=\"(min-width: 580px)\"\/><source  media=\"(min-width: 350px)\"\/><source  media=\"(min-width: 80px)\"\/><img alt=\"Three out of ten users\" class=\"global-image\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"low\" height=\"1538\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774440292_402_Study-Reveals-Four-in-Ten-Women-Feel-Insecure-Using-Costa.jpg\" width=\"2048\"\/>\n<\/picture><figcaption class=\"article-figcaption-img\">Three out of ten users report that the bus staff did not intervene in the face of acts of harassment. (Courtesy: Aresep)<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<h2>Contributing Factors to Insecurity<\/h2>\n<p>Women reported that their feelings of insecurity manifest particularly on <strong>long-distance routes<\/strong>, where prolonged waiting at unprotected bus stops makes them more vulnerable to harassment. The lack of staff intervention during incidents of harassment continued to perpetuate a sense of helplessness among female passengers.<\/p>\n<h3>Implementation of Protocols<\/h3>\n<p>Despite existing protocols designed to address harassment, their effectiveness remains in debate among experts. As it stands, bus drivers are expected to intervene first before the involvement of law enforcement, which underscores the need for proper training.<\/p>\n<p>Juan Carlos Chinchilla from Aresep emphasizes the importance of bus companies strengthening employee training to ensure that staff can respond adequately to these critical situations.<\/p>\n<div class=\"visual__image\">\n<picture><source  media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\"\/><source  media=\"(min-width: 768px)\"\/><source  media=\"(min-width: 580px)\"\/><source  media=\"(min-width: 350px)\"\/><source  media=\"(min-width: 80px)\"\/><img alt=\"Lack of trained personnel\" class=\"global-image\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"low\" height=\"1200\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774440293_12_Study-Reveals-Four-in-Ten-Women-Feel-Insecure-Using-Costa.jpg\" width=\"1600\"\/>\n<\/picture><figcaption class=\"article-figcaption-img\">The lack of trained personnel reinforces the perception of female vulnerability in public transport services. (Courtesy: Aresep)<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<h2>Moving Toward Solutions<\/h2>\n<p>The collaborative study by UCR and Aresep suggests <strong>awareness campaigns<\/strong>, mandatory training for transport personnel, and expanded service coverage in rural areas. These initiatives aim to provide improved safety for all who utilize public transportation.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, ensuring safety for women using public transport in Costa Rica necessitates a comprehensive approach involving effective training and community awareness to significantly reduce feelings of insecurity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/category\/general\/\" rel=\"dofollow\">General News &#8211; 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>40% of women in Costa Rica feel unsafe when using public transportation. (Courtesy: Public Transportation Council) Insecurity in Costa Rican Public Transport The use of public transportation in Costa Rica has turned into a source of tension for approximately 40% of women, according to a recent study conducted by a Social Work student from the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":212422,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[13884,3878,4574,840,562,27221,60,845,32191,1294],"class_list":["post-212421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mazagine","tag-costa","tag-feel","tag-insecure","tag-public","tag-reveals","tag-rican","tag-study","tag-ten","tag-transportation","tag-women"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212421"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":212423,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212421\/revisions\/212423"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/212422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}