As part of its mission as a delegated project owner for the establishment of the High-Level Bus Service line in Agadir and in partnership with the AFD (French Development Agency), SDL Agadir Mobilité aims to develop a policy in favor of gender equality within its activities. In this evolving context, where best practices remain too rare worldwide, Agadir Mobilité wishes to enlist the expertise of a specialized consultant to develop a Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP).

Women, in particular, will first benefit from the improvement of service safety and comfort. The BHNS project will significantly enhance the mobility conditions for women in Agadir, thus providing them with better access to the socioeconomic opportunities offered by an adapted public transport system. The qualitative leap in transport offerings could indeed help resolve major current issues: lack of service regularity, low frequency, long travel times, lack of comfort and safety on board, limited service hours, and lack of information both at the station and on board.

To improve safety and comfort, measures may include (i) reserving priority seats for pregnant women or those with strollers, (ii) establishing an appropriate frequency to ensure that buses do not exceed their capacity, and (iii) generalizing video surveillance on buses and at bus stations and major taxi hubs, as well as in exchange centers.

The implementation of the Master Plan for gender equality represents an opportunity to address the issues mentioned above, as well as governance dimensions and the promotion of women’s employment in the transport sector.

In a pragmatic approach, and in consultation with the AFD, it has been proposed to carry out a mission to develop a gender equality action plan incorporating best practices and to initiate relevant actions implemented in many urban mobility projects.