Study: Transgender Riders Face High Rates of Harassment on Public Transit, But Problem Is Overlooked

# What the study found

# Why it matters High rates of harassment affect transit access. A sizable share of respondents said they ride less than they want to because of fear of harassment or violence. That alters mobility choices and can push people toward driving even when transit would be a viable option. The survey also shows that inadequate service — slow or infrequent buses and trains — is itself a practical motivator for choosing other modes and can increase vulnerability to harassment when people wait at stops for long periods.

# Who is most at risk The report indicates intersectional differences: Black transgender people and transgender women may face higher levels of harassment because they experience harassment associated with multiple identities. The researchers note that more targeted research is needed to draw firmer conclusions about which subgroups face the highest risk and why.

# What respondents suggested and how agencies can respond Survey participants named specific, non-police interventions they believe would improve safety and comfort:

• Improved lighting at stops and stations.
• Real-time service information to reduce wait times and uncertainty.
• Non-police station attendants or customer-service staff trained to intervene.

More than half of respondents said increasing police presence would not increase their sense of safety. The authors recommend systemwide anti-harassment campaigns, staff training on intervention, and public education to change everyday treatment of transgender riders.

# Research gaps the study identifies Current research on gender-based transit harassment focuses largely on cisgender women and uses gender assumptions in study design. The UCLA report calls for new survey and research approaches that avoid those assumptions so researchers can better capture the mobility experiences and harassment types specific to transgender and nonbinary riders.

# Context in a broader political environment The article places the study in a political moment where federal support for research on gender and diversity is constrained. It notes that federal funding and grants related to gender, LGBT issues, and diversity have faced increased scrutiny. The authors frame that environment as a complicating factor for producing the focused research needed to design effective transit safety interventions for transgender riders.

# Practical takeaways for transit agencies and riders For agencies: prioritize operational fixes that reduce exposure to harassment (faster, more frequent service, reliable real-time information, improved lighting) and invest in non-police staff who can respond to incidents. Launch anti-harassment communications and train frontline staff to intervene safely. For riders and advocates: document incidents, report harassment to agencies, and press for the specific interventions named by respondents rather than defaulting to calls for more policing.

# Closing point The study shows a measurable gap between the prevalence of harassment experienced by transgender riders and how well transit systems and research tools recognize and address that problem. Filling that gap will require both changes in how agencies operate and how researchers collect and analyze data on gender and mobility.