Ms Rachel Cahill:

I will start with the last piece and work backwards. What surprised me most was good and bad in combination. It was the role of families. I know I have spoken about that here but I was surprised to see that came out so strongly. I am thinking of the lived experience of the women we interviewed and how they spoke about their families. I think especially of women perhaps with special needs and the levels they went to to ensure independent travel for their children as they grew into adulthood. It was that family role and perceptions being formed from a very young age.

In our report, the joy and freedom public transport gives women came out very strongly as well. We are talking about the main challenges, barriers and issues women have to incorporate into their daily decision-making, with safety being one of the big concerns, but many women spoke of the joy, freedom and independence public transport gave them and it is important we call that out. Look at some of the language our interviewees used. They talked about how the Luas glides over O'Connell Bridge and the peace that brought them as they looked down the river Liffey. That is fantastic. Some of the women in Cork talked about socialising with their pals and how they enjoyed being on the top deck of a bus and the view and beauty------