( CNN ) -- Alarming findings related to women 's safety have come to light with the release of a Thomson Reuters Foundation survey that looks at harassment on public transportation systems in the world 's largest cities . According to the new report , six in 10 women in major Latin American cities report they 've been physically harassed while using transport systems , with Bogota , Colombia , found to have the most unsafe public transportation , followed by Mexico City and Lima , Peru . At the other end of the safety spectrum , New York was rated as the best of the 16 cities studied followed by Tokyo , the world 's largest capital with 38 million people , then Beijing and London . The poll was conducted in 15 of the world 's largest capitals , as well as New York , the most populous city in the United States , in collaboration with UK polling company YouGov . Here are the results , from ranked from worst to best : . 1 . Bogota , Colombia . 2 . Mexico City . 3 . Lima , Peru . 4 . New Delhi . 5 . Jakarta , Indonesia . 6 . Buenos Aires . 7 . Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia . 8 . Bangkok . 9 . Moscow . 10 . Manila , Philippines . 11 . Paris . 12 . Seoul . 13 . London . 14 . Beijing . 15 . Tokyo . 16 . New York . In total , 6,555 women and experts were surveyed . Results are based on the respondents ' answers as well as surveys of experts in women 's rights , gender equality , urban planning and gender-friendly urban spaces in each of the cities . The Thomson Reuters Foundation said polling could not be conducted in five other large capitals -- Cairo , Dhaka ( Bangladesh ) , Kinshasa ( Democratic Republic of the Congo ) , Tehran and Baghad -- due to conflict or an inability by polling company YouGov to guarantee the necessary online sample of women . The group says it did survey 10 experts in Cairo , the world 's fifth largest capital , but those findings were not included in the overall ranking as YouGov could not carry out the public poll . Had they been included , it would have put Cairo in the top five most dangerous transport systems , said the Thomson Reuters Foundation . What constitutes harassment ? The foundation says the survey was conducted in many different cultures , and allowed respondents to judge what constituted harassment in their own society . Women were asked six questions relating to : how safe they felt traveling alone at night ; the risk of being verbally harassed by men ; the risk of being groped or subjected to other forms of physical harassment ; trust that other passengers would assist a woman being physically or verbally abused ; and trust in authorities to investigate reports of sexual harassment or violence . Have you been harassed ? Share your experience in an open letter . In Moscow , respondents reportedly had little confidence that authorities would investigate an abuse report , while 85 % of Paris women doubted fellow public transport users would come to their rescue if they were in trouble . In an accompanying Thompson Reuters Foundation report based on the survey , Mary Crass , head of policy at the International Transport Forum , an OECD think tank , said it was worrying that women were scared to use public transport in some major cities and the poll highlighted the need for more action . `` When there is not frequent , reliable , accessible transport , this can affect women and anyone 's ability to access opportunity and notably employment in urban areas , which can make a big difference for women in particular , '' she said . `` ( Women ) tend to be more reliant on public transport and on non-motorized means , particularly in low-income or middle-income countries , in emerging economies . '' Women-only cars a short-term fix , say experts . Tokyo 's high standing may come as a surprise to those familiar with the highly publicized problems women have faced when riding Japanese subways , with widespread reports of groping consistently making headlines . The Thompson Reuters Foundation said experts attributed Tokyo 's second place ranking to a raft of measures taken in the city over recent years to combat such incidents in often overcrowded buses and trains . These include the introduction of women-only trains in 2000 , which are color-coded in pink , and transit police to enforce rules . Women-only sections on public transport are now also found in Jakarta , Kuala Lumpur , Delhi , Cairo and Manila . Thomson Reuters Foundation said other cities , including London , are considering this option and introducing CCTV on platforms and improving lighting . However , gender and city planning experts have raised concerns over whether women-only transport is effective . Julie Babinard , senior transport specialist from the World Bank , says they 're a short term fix and not a panacea for harassment of women . `` The emerging interest in several countries on women-only initiatives should be seen as an opportunity for improving security in cities but not as a silver bullet for dealing with gender-based violence in transportation and urban settings , '' Babinard told the Thomson Reuters Foundation . `` Women-only initiatives are not likely to provide long-term solutions as they only segregate by gender and provide a short-term remedy instead of addressing more fundamental issues . '' Although experts remain critical of single-sex transport , most women favored the idea , according to the survey .
Thomson Reuters Foundation says six in 10 women in major Latin American cities report having been physically harassed while using transport systems . The survey was conducted by the non-profit organization Global Alliance for Women's Safety (GAWS). New York rated as the best of the 16 cities followed by Tokyo , Beijing and London .