As Secretariat of the APPG for Women in Transport we have been working closely with the parliamentarians on the group on a range of new projects.
Delivering the recommendations from our white paper
We are working with the APPG members to build on the recommendations from our Gender perceptions and experiences working in transport white paper, published on International Women’s Day last year.
Following a recommendation in the paper, we have been working closely with other organisations aiming to improve gender equality, diversity and inclusion in the transport industry, such as Women in Maritime, Women in Aviation and Aerospace, Women in Rail and the Railway Industry Association. We are looking at ways to recognise our overlapping goals, helping to bring our memberships closer together and allowing cross-sector networking, learning, role modelling and campaigning.
Many of the recommendations in our white paper require sponsorship to progress them. If your company can help, please contact us.
Shadow Rail Minister joins the APPG
We’re pleased to announce that Tan Dhesi MP, Shadow Minister for Rail, has joined the APPG as a member. Tan is a passionate advocate for gender diversity, equality and inclusion in transport. It is great to have him on board.
Understanding gender disparity in e-scooter usage
Our APPG members have endorsed a research project commissioned by the rental e-scooter operator, and Women in Transport partner, Voi into women’s perceptions of shared e-scooters. Women in Transport members have been instrumental in the development of this project, with many generously giving up their time to participate in November’s focus groups. There will also be a survey for available for Women in Transport members to complete soon, and the final report is expected in Spring.
Improving Women in Transport’s voice in national policy conversations
We are also aiming to increase the presence of Women in Transport and our members in national policy conversations. In December, using the invaluable insight of some of our members, we submitted a response to a Transport Select Committee parliamentary inquiry into road freight, launched following the food and fuel shortages felt across the country in the Autumn. In particular, we stressed the importance of attracting and retaining a diverse workforce as a solution to the skills shortages in freight (as in all transport sectors). We have also been working with APPG members to submit parliamentary questions on this topic and are looking at how we can work with the APPG and relevant industry bodies to sharpen focus on how driver shortages in the freight sector explicitly link to a lack of workforce diversity.
To enable us to be more responsive to relevant policy conversations, we’re creating a Women in Transport Policy Group to coordinate more regular responses to parliamentary inquiries. The Policy Group will also closely support our work with the APPG, for instance helping devise the annual programme of events. We think this will be a great opportunity to strengthen the relationship between Women in Transport members and the APPG and make the most out of the diverse insight and expertise we have in our membership. We are really excited for this to get going and if you are interested in joining the group, you can apply by filling in this form.