Thousands of women in Jalisco will have access to free pubic transportation thanks to the Cities of the Future program promoted by the British Embassy in Mexico City, and coordinated by various state agencies.
The first stage of “Mi Pasaje Apoyo a Mujeres” (Ticket Support for Women) program is scheduled to begin in the Guadalajara metropolitan area in January of next year, Patricia Martínez Barba, state strategy coordinator, announced last week at a virtual conference that included Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro and British Ambassador to Mexico Corin Robertson. The benefits include two daily public transportation tickets or a free annual subscription to the Mi Bici public bicycle-share program.
Qualification for the program, said Martínez Barba, is limited to “female heads of families, aged between 25 and 65, living in areas with a high degree of marginalization and with an income of less than 5,700 pesos per month.”
Approximately 40 million pesos will be invested in the first stage of the project , which aims to benefit around 11,700 women. This number will increase to 18,000 in the second stage, Martínez Barba said.
The major aim of the support program is to ensure that women “do not limit the use of public transport for economic reasons.” The program also complements the state government’s Covid-19 economic reactivation plan, and will help economically challenged families with their day-to-day expenses, Martínez Barba said.