Photo by tedeytan.

In order to launch a free late-night ride service for Washington’s women and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender population, Collective Action for Safe Spaces created a survey to find out how safe they feel using different modes of transportation.

The May survey of 276 respondents found the following:

72 percent of respondents use public transit late at night (12am or later) at least once a month, with nearly half (47 percent) using public transit late at night at least once a week.

The majority of respondents indicated that they feel safe only “some of the time” (43 percent), “hardly ever” (17 percent), or “never” (7 percent) while taking public transit alone, while with less than one-third indicating that they felt safe either “always” or “most of the time.”

Nearly 30 percent indicated they use taxis late at night at least once a week, and 50 percent indicate that they feel safe taking taxis late at night by themselves.

However, cost is often a barrier and over 40 percent responded that they “sometimes” or “often” walk or bike late at night because they cannot afford to take a taxi.

Of the 276 respondents, 88 percent identified as female and 90 percent are between the ages of 21 and 34.

Respondents also reported instances of being harassed, with 90 percent reporting experiencing at least one form of harassment or assault.

In an interview with DCist, Julia Strange, the organization’s program and policy director, said the group identified the need for the ride program, known as RightRidesDC, “through the numerous stories of late night sexual harassment and sexual assault that come up in the news and are submitted to our blog, including harassment assaults perpetrated by public transit workers and taxi drivers.”

The group, formerly known as Hollaback D.C, will launch RightRidesDC in the coming months.