Taipei (ANTARA News/CNA-OANA) - Walking is the primary means of non-motorized transportation (NMT) for women in Taiwan, while men more often ride bicycles, according to a survey released Sunday by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC).

The ministry said the gender factor was a key issue in the use public transport and that the survey could be a useful reference in transportation policy planning. The survey showed that 13.9 percent of women in Taiwan used NMT, around 2.1 percent more than men.

Non Motorized Transportation is defined as active transportation and human powered transportation that provides both recreation and transportation.

In the poll, walking and cycling were included in the category of eco-friendly public transport.

The survey showed that 17.14 percent of women take public transport, such as city buses and the MRT, while only 10.3 percent of men do so, as they prefer to drive cars. Almost 78 percent of men take private motorized transport, around 9 percent higher than women, the survey found.

The survey concluded that women were the major users of public and non-motorized transport compared with men. In response, the MOTC said it planned to improve the public transportation service to make it as comfortable and convenient as private transportation in an effort to attract more male users. The survey, conducted Oct. 12-Dec.

30 last year, collected 38,700 valid responses. It had a confidence level of 95 percent and a margin of error of around 0.5 percentage points.
(U.A045/C003)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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