Women in Transport Equity Index 2026

The Women in Transport Equity Index is the UK’s leading benchmark for gender equity in the transport sector and, to our knowledge, the only one of its kind globally. It is both a benchmark and a blueprint for action.

Together, we can turn data into action and ensure the future of UK transport is inclusive, equitable, and resilient.

 

Call for Sponsors: 2026 Equity Index

As we prepare for the third edition of the Index, we are calling for:

  • New sponsors to join us in scaling the Index’s reach and impact

  • More organisations to participate and be part of sector-wide change

  • Industry leaders to treat equity as critical infrastructure, not an optional extra

To explore sponsorship options, contact Sue Terpilowski, Equity Index Project Lead, at sue.terpilowski@womenintransport.com. You can also download our Partnerships brochure below for more details.

Partner with us
 

The 2025 Equity Index – Benchmarking Progress, Driving Accountability, Leading Change

The 2025 Equity Index builds on the foundations of our inaugural 2023 survey, providing a powerful year-on-year comparison of progress and regression across representation, leadership, pay equity, flexible working arrangements, and inclusion.

From 23% female workforce representation in 2023 to 27% in 2025, and a significant rise in women holding core transport roles, progress is evident, but patchy. Leadership representation by women has increased from 26% to 36%, but most of those roles remain outside core operational functions. Meanwhile, the gender pay gap has barely shifted, with 59% of organisations still reporting a gap of 11% or more, and 65% having no action plan in place.

The 2025 Index, based on data from 100 participating organisations across rail, road, logistics, maritime, cycling, consultancy and government, presents the most comprehensive snapshot of gender equity in UK transport today.

 
DOWNLOAD THE 2025 EQUITY INDEX REPORT
 

2025 Sector winners

Celebrating 2025 organisations leading the way in gender equity:

  • Rail – London North Eastern Railway (LNER)

  • Bus & Coach – First Bus

  • Consultancy – Steer

  • Cycling – Sustrans

  • Logistics – Wm Armstrong

  • Maritime – Mintra

  • Cross-Sector – Campaign for Better Transport

  • Government/NGO – West Yorkshire Combined Authority

Each has demonstrated measurable impact and a commitment to long-term cultural change.

 

Proudly supported by our 2025 sponsors

Gold Sponsors
– The Seafarers’ Charity
– Network Rail

Silver Sponsors
– Album
– First Bus
– Image Line Communications
– Urban Transport Group

 

With special thanks to our survey partner and project lead

We are gratefully to WORK180, our Equity Index partner, the world’s first career platform dedicated to workplace equity. Their robust DEI Assessment underpins the Index, enabling consistent benchmarking and actionable insight across all participating organisations.

This important project is led by Sue Terpilowski OBE as a volunteer and we are incredibly grateful to Sue for gifting us her skills and time and helping Women in Transport drive meaningful change on equity in transport. With over 35 years of experience, Sue founded Image Line Communications, which has evolved into a premier PR, marketing, and visual event agency in the logistics, freight, ports, maritime and supply chain sectors. Sue is a proactive advocate for diversity and inclusion in maritime and logistics, earning the OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2014 for her impactful work and advocacy on behalf of micro and small businesses in London.

 
 

FAQs

  • Thank you for your interest. The 2026 Equity Index survey is due to launch on 7th September 2026.

    Participating is free. You can register your interest by emailing sue.terpilowski@womenintransport.com. Once we have verified your information and the survey is live, you will receive a link to take the survey. Please note that there may be a gap between registering and getting the link. Please bear with us, as we are all volunteers.

  • The data you provide allows us to create unique anonymous aggregated indexes, covering both the sub-sector of transport you have identified to be in and the overall Transport index.

    Your summary enables you to benchmark yourselves against others and the overall Transport index. It will help you understand where you are and learn what others are doing to drive forward diversity and inclusion. You can also access the relevant sheets from the hub to help you gain further insights into areas you may wish to improve on.

  • All data collected is anonymised and aggregated to ensure the privacy of participating organisations. The data we will be collecting includes a set of mandatory and optional questions. View the full list here.

  • The index survey typically takes around 10-15 minutes to complete. We have designed it to be efficient and user-friendly while capturing essential data for measuring diversity, equity, and inclusion in the transport industry.

  • WORK180, our partner in the survey, will send you a link to the survey platform. You will also get a link to the hub with fact sheets etc., from WORK180.

    You also have the unique opportunity to take their full survey for FREE, normally costing £2500. If you complete the full DEI assessment (over 150 questions), WORK180 will supply your company with your own report.

  • Registration form data. All information submitted will be held by Women in Transport in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation and 2018 Data Protection Act and will be treated confidentially. Information will only be shared as necessary for the purposes of sending the survey link.

    All data collected is anonymised and aggregated to ensure the privacy of participating organisations. The insights and trends derived from the data empower us to provide valuable recommendations and solutions for fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. Your organisation’s data will be handled with the utmost care and used solely for the purpose of generating insights and driving positive industry-wide transformation.

    WORK180. All data collected is anonymised and aggregated to ensure the privacy of participating organisations. The insights and trends derived from the data empower us to provide valuable recommendations and solutions for fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. Your organisation’s data will be handled with the utmost care and used solely for the purpose of generating insights and driving positive industry-wide transformation. The link to the Privacy Policy can be found here.

  • The top five in the indexes will receive a 2026 badge and certificate they can use as they wish. You are free and we encourage you to share that you have participated in the survey. Don't forget to share on social hashtag #WomeninTransportEquityIndex #EquityinTransport

  • Reach out to Sue Terpilowski, Equity Index Project Lead: sue.terpilowski@womenintransport.com