Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies (GSWS)

This short report summarizes the literature related to youth and transit, with a focus on demand, barriers, youth advocacy, various types of passes (i.e., U-PASS, free or reduced-fares), and active transportation.

This short report summarizes the literature related to free and reduced-fare transportation for youth, including motivations for such programs, Canadian initiatives, and assessments.

Historically, youth (13-25) have been one of the most active user groups of public transit in Canada, accounting for one-third of ridership nation-wide, and up to two-thirds in cities such as Moose Jaw, SK and Red Deer, AB (Canadian Urban Transit Association, 2004). Despite their high usage of public transportation, youth as a specific category of riders have received an underwhelming amount of focus by academics and transit authorities. This report synthesizes the last ten years of evidence, policy, and pilot projects related to youth as a public transportation user group in order to provide an up-to-date summary of the state of knowledge in this area. Youth and public transportation research is identified and evaluated, including data sources and gaps. Media coverage of the issue is also considered, as many of the concerns of youth, public debates, and pilot programs related to youth and public transit are only referenced in this format. The final section of this work consists of an evidence-based agenda for future research and policy, with an eye toward enhancing the equity of access to transit systems for youth riders.

In 2015 the Gender Vectors research team received a major research grant to conduct research with and about trans-gender youth in the Greater Vancouver Area. A unique aspect of this research project involved combining social action research with the development of a prototype of a video game as a knowledge translation tool to depict the life experiences of trans youth. We draw on transformative gender just-ice theory to document and address the diminished life chances of and the need to promote resilience among trans youth in the region and more broadly, across Canada and the United States. This article provides an overview of the research project and concludes by identifying key insights relating to resiliency that resulted from 15 narrative interviews with trans-gender youth, focus group meetings with the Project’s Youth Advisory  Council,  and  dialog  from  an inter-generational workshop  for  transgender  youth  and  adult care/service providers and allies. These themes informed the creation of the prototype.

In 2013, a new technology, GeneXpert, was introduced in India, which, in addition to testing for TB, could also diagnose whether the detected strain was drug resistant. By detecting the bacterium more effectively than other available tests and simultaneously testing for resistance, GeneXpert promised to reduce the delay in diagnosis and hence ineffective treatments. The new test was introduced to multiple cities via a coalition that included global health funding bodies, the government of India, the World Health Organization, and non-governmental organizations. Despite the concerted effort of the coalition, among formal providers (those trained in biomedicine) in the private sector, the new technology was not adopted as quickly as had been hoped. Examining formal providers' initial responses to the technology's introduction in the city of Patna reveals how the adoption of new technology can be influenced by the particularities of the local medical market such as the availability of diagnostic tests, presence of informal providers, and reputation of formal providers. While protocols and operations might seem standardized across implementation plans, the work that is required to ensure success must take into account the particular role that the market plays from site to site.