Santhanakrishnan Narayanan, PhD’s Post

Celebrating International Women's Day prompts a reflective pause on the positive changes shaped by technology and mobility for women. In the journey of life, decisions make destinies, unveiling a notable progression — freedom fueled by access. At Flixbus, safety is our North Star, driving us to level the intercity travel playing field. Our mission? To make it possible for everyone who wants to discover the world to enjoy smart, sustainable mobility Not just statistics, but a narrative of empowerment emerges: 📈 The Female Labour Force Participation Rate in India rose commendably by 4.2%, reaching 37.0% in 2023. 🌐 Tech-enabled buses' adoption by female travelers surged from 8-10% to an encouraging 15-18% recently. The compelling narrative goes beyond statistics, portraying women not only achieving physical mobility but also embracing the autonomy to shape their own paths. Intercity travel becomes more than just transportation; it serves as a channel for economic empowerment and a driver for reducing the gender gap. The road ahead is promising, yet much ground remains. As we collectively usher in India's 'nari shakti,' let's champion progress, foster equality, and redefine the intercity travel landscape. BW Auto World https://lnkd.in/ecT6FQ58

The fare free bus scheme in Tamil Nadu is a #pathbreaking initiative for women, almost like what the #middaymeal scheme (again first launched in Tamil Nadu) did for all school-going kids (and more so for the #girlchild)! I remember experts predicting years back that the TN midday meal scheme would lead to a dramatic upturn in #developmentmetrics a few years down the line, as educated mothers would make all the difference (this is definitely borne out)! I hope and pray that the economic uptick due to better #employmentopportunities for women (resultant the fare free bus scheme), creates a similar and significant #positivechange! Thanks for sharing, Mallika Arya! #womensempowerment #genderequality #employmentopportunities #socialimpact #socialchange #nationbuilding

Are you aware that by some accounts 25% of the world’s human population is neurodivergent? For #NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek, BCD is inviting conversations about how to foster inclusion for neurodivergent individuals as they travel for work. ➡️ https://ow.ly/hq9r50QXrFc #BCDTravel #BusinessTravel #Neurodiversity

The free bus scheme is not simply about improving mobility options, if India is to expand its GDP and close the employment gap, we must come up with innovative and creative ways to make it easier, accessible and safer for people, especially women and those from the transgender communities to move around. The free bus schemes, now in states including Delhi, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka have shown great promise. The latest study of the free bus scheme in Tamil Nadu by Citizen consumer and civic Action Group has shown that 66% of those surveyed saved more than Rs. 400/- per month, the women were able to travel farther for employment opportunities, the scheme significantly reduced the time taken by women for domestic errands, allowing them time for leisure and work and most importantly allowing women to reclaim public spaces - an often undervalued and underestimated aspect to quality of life in our cities. Read more about the study conducted by Citizen consumer and civic Action Group on the Sustainable Mobility Network's Medium page: https://lnkd.in/g4zeMyvS Sumana Narayanan Harpreet Bagga Malvika M Rhea Karan Sanjay Sridhar Sanjiv Gopal Venugopal AV Aswathy Dilip Sarika Panda Bhatt She/Her Kalpana Viswanath Sonal Shah (She/ her) Saudamini Zutshi Sobia Rafiq Ankit Bhargava Matrushri P. Shetty Felix John 🚲 Dalip Sabharwal

#ParkyourcarACN epilogue 🧠 Do you know what defines us as adults ? In psychology, we are considered as adults as of the moment we adopt a range of fixed habits after our childhood and adolescent experiences. Challenging these habits can be extremely destabilizing because it questions part of our established organization and our perception of the world. 🤯 ❌Although I work in a tech company (Accenture Belgium), I'm convinced from scientific studies and empirical works that technology on its own won't help us solve the environmental crisis if we don’t engage a drastic change in our mindset, lifestyles and habits. ✅However, technology can be a great enabler of behavioral change (when framed correctly) in helping us, adults, to adopt new habits that are more in line with the environmental challenges we face (in this cas multi-mobility apps, routes planners etc). 🔊 Do not hesitate to connect to discuss our multi-disciplinary approach to environment and mobility related challenges ! In Belgium, 50% of people living less than 5 km away from their workplace still use their car to commute to work… how can we change this ? 🤯 => by increasing frictions to the use of cars (byebye company cars 😭) and increasing accessibility of other and more virtuous modes of transports ! 🚴♀️ 🚌🛴🚆 🔍 I took the opportunity of the mobility week to challenge myself and try different modes of transports available in Brussels to commute to work, here is the short summary of my impressions : 🚶♂️Walking : I hadn’t spent one hour with myself for a long time. Walking gently while letting my thoughts stressless was an incredible immersive experience. We never usually take the time. I’ll commit to do it once a month. 🚲 Bike : It stays my favorite transport in crowded cities for it’s agility, versatility and rapidity. Potential of (e-)bike is certain and it’s use should be supported and encouraged by building adequate infrastructure. 🚆Train and public transport : The train was one of the most comfortable options, despite frequent delays. It also made me realize the social diversity in which we live and brought me out of my bubble of privileged environmentalist cyclist. 🛴 Shared mobility : It was really fun to cruise an electric scooter through the traffic jam. However, I think it's more interesting to encourage the sharing of macro-mobility modes of transport, such as cars, rather than micro-mobility modes that have a shorter lifetime which doesn’t make them really sustainable. 🚗 Carpool : I think carpooling is a real added value to easily decrease the impact of our mobility for people who do not have viable public transport option. Moreover, it is a serious networking advantage as we could, with my colleagues, share valuable insights on our different projets on the way. Thanks a lot to the eco-action team and Oumeya Charpentier and Hélène Snyers for organizing this ! 👌 Skipr NMBS-SNCB STIB-MIVB

Are you aware that by some accounts 25% of the world’s human population is neurodivergent? For #NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek, BCD is inviting conversations about how to foster inclusion for neurodivergent individuals as they travel for work. ➡️ https://ow.ly/hq9r50QXrFc #bcdtravel #diversityequityandinclusion

Are you aware that by some accounts, as much as 25% of the world’s human population is neurodivergent? For Neurodiversity Celebration Week, BCD is inviting conversations about how we can foster inclusion for neurodivergent individuals as they travel for work. BCD's partners at United Airlines visited our Connections podcast to talk about what they are doing to drive awareness and inclusion. We also asked some of our people what they learned at Women In Travel CIC’s Neurodiversity in Travel Online Mini Summit 2024. Spoiler alert: we might need to re-evaluate some business etiquette expectations, like making eye contact, because they can be challenging for neurodivergent individuals. Learn more: https://ow.ly/mO4l50QYs2X #DiversityEquityAndInclusion #Neurodiversity #NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek #BusinessTravel #InclusionMatters

Are you aware that by some accounts, as much as 25% of the world’s human population is neurodivergent? For Neurodiversity Celebration Week, we’re inviting conversations about how we can foster inclusion for neurodivergent individuals as they travel for work. Our partners at United Airlines visited our Connections podcast to talk about what they are doing to drive awareness and inclusion. We also asked some of our people what they learned at Women In Travel CIC’s Neurodiversity in Travel Online Mini Summit 2024. Spoiler alert: we might need to re-evaluate some business etiquette expectations, like making eye contact, because they can be challenging for neurodivergent individuals. Learn more: https://ow.ly/PJJH50QXxBl #DiversityEquityAndInclusion #Neurodiversity #NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek #BusinessTravel #InclusionMatters

Did you know that people with a disability make up an increasingly significant portion of travellers, taking 1 million domestic trips in Australia and representing 19% of total trips annually? However, research shows that many more would travel if it were more accessible. This statistic highlights the pressing need for enhanced accessibility in the travel industry. Our latest article delves deep into the transformative power of accessible wayfinding at airports. From enhancing convenience to promoting independence, we're sharing valuable insights on why accessible navigation at the airport matters! Imagine a world where every traveller, regardless of their abilities, can embark on journeys easily and confidently! Learn how accessible wayfinding paves the way for an inclusive travel experience for all. Don't wait – Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/46VLQGz Join us in advocating for a more accessible and inclusive world of travel. #AccessibleWayfinding #PassengerExperience #Inclusion

In the lead-up to International Women's Day, with its resonating theme of #InspireInclusion, organisations and groups are taking tangible actions to foster an environment where women feel empowered. However, as women make up an ever-increasing amount of our business traveller population, there’s still a lingering concern that women often feel less secure than their male counterparts when travelling for work. Within the corporate accommodation industry, we know that many large companies are increasingly making strategic choices to ensure their female traveller's safety. For those not yet there, simply shifting the focus, and planning through the eyes of a solo female traveller will help break down the barriers by forming decisions around navigating unfamiliar territories, late-night arrivals, and steering clear of accommodation that can amplify feelings of vulnerability. The good news for travel bookers is that corporate apartment providers like Astra Apartments, already offer compelling solutions to address these concerns. Read more in our latest post. https://lnkd.in/gnjEMeg9