10 resources to accelerate action on inclusive transport for women
It’s time to #AccelerateAction on gender equality
International Women’s Day (IWD) is a time to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. It is also a day to call for action on gender equality – and for IWD2025, the story is all about accelerating action.
UITP is committed to gender equality and we have taken fast action. Since launching our award-winning policy in 2019, we’ve seen transformative results: women on our Executive Board increased from 0% to 38%, and on our Policy Board from 11% to 33%. In addition, our management team now features 45% women and female speakers have doubled across UITP events from 21% in 2017 to 43% in 2023.
But there are always more things to be done to achieve gender equality. To accelerate action on an inclusive transport strategy for women, explore these 10 resources from various organisations including UITP:
#1 Gender Best Practices in Public Transport
Is public transport fit for women? We surveyed over 50 UITP members to set out recommendations and best practices for a gender inclusive sector. Our Knowledge Brief, produced in partnership with the EIB, presents results and conclusions drawn from the survey which took into account more than 115,000 full-time women employees.
#2 Integrating gender considerations into public transport policies and operations
Women make up a higher proportion of public transport trips compared to men. That means that women are especially effected by the quality of public transport. For the report, UITP joined with the World Bank Group to identify 10 global case studies that show how authorities have integrated gender considerations into their public transport systems.
Case studies from:
- Amman, Jordan
- Bogota, Colombia
- Brussels, Belgium
- Cairo, Egypt
- Dublin, Ireland
- Freetown, Sierra Leone
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
- São Paulo, Brazil
- Seoul, South Korea
#3 Addressing Barriers to Women’s Participation in Transport: Global, ECA, and MENA Perspectives
Women are still underrepresented in public transport – sometimes by a significant margin. This report explores the key challenges to women’s employment in the transport sector and provides recommendations to tackle the gender gap and increase female representation in the workforce. It also provides regional snapshots from Europe, Central Asia, and MENA.
#4 Knowledge Hub
This knowledge hub gathers the latest know-how on women in transport and mobility, from publications to studies, articles, podcasts, and more. The Global Alliance is an initiative that brings together Women Mobilize Women, Women on the Move in Asia, and Women in Motion. UITP collaborates with the Global Alliance, alongside other organisations and networks.
#5 Gender-responsive technology and infrastructure for sustainable urban mobility
What tools and technologies exist to support us in making public transport gender-responsive, sustainable, and inclusive? This brief proposes policy approaches and provides guidance to policymakers on how to best incorporate them.
#6 Gender Equality Index 2023
The Gender Equality Index is a tool to measure the progress of gender equality in the EU. The EU agency’s annual reports are wide in scope and highly informative, with many insights, statistics, and tables highlighting the state of gender equality in the EU today and over time. 2023’s report focused on a green transition in transport and energy.
As well as the report, you can also explore different country profiles based on the survey responses, and compare them to the EU average.
#7 India – Toolkit for Enabling Gender-Responsive Urban Mobility and Public Spaces
How do we design public transport systems for women – and how can we make it happen? The World Bank Group released a two-part toolkit on how to implement gender-responsive urban mobility in India. One volume focuses on high-level guidance for policymakers, while the second provides a ‘how-to’ guide including practical tools for implementing operators or authorities.
#8 Get Knowledge – SHE CAN Tool
The SHE CAN tool is a web-based tool to help decision-makers tackle harassment in sub-Saharan public transport. The tool was highlighted in the TRANS-SAFE toolbox, an EU-funded project to transform road safety in Africa where UITP is a participating member.
The SHE CAN tool’s knowledge hub is a useful and comprehensive repository of interventions and case studies, with analyses on all kinds of topics on making public transport safe and secure for women.
#9 Gender Equality in Transportation Course
Let’s move away from gender-blind transport planning. This self-paced online course proposes practical solutions for enhancing inclusion and equity in public transport, as well as offering examples of concrete interventions. All this for free and it takes around two hours.
The course was jointly prepared by the World Bank’s Transport Global Practice and Open Learning Campus, the UN Women Training Centre, and the Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces Global Initiative.
#10 ITF Gender Analysis Toolkit for Transport Policies
Where do you start if you want to conduct your own gender analysis? The ITF developed a set of tools – based around a checklist, indicators, and a questionnaire – to assist policymakers and project managers to analyse gender equality in their transport policies and projects.
