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Delivering transport infrastructure that meets the needs of all

General Manager for UK & Ireland at TIER Mobility, Georgia Yexley, shares her thoughts on women’s safety within the public transportation sector, and outlines how creating transport infrastructure that accommodates all types of passengers will be the key to bridging the safety gap.

Delivering transport infrastructure that meets the needs of all

Credit: TIER Mobility

Delivering transport infrastructure that meets the needs of all

Credit: TIER Mobility

When discussing the topic of women’s safety, the gendered bias of urban mobility may not be the first thing to come to mind. Despite the well-known refrain of “text me when you’re home” being a core part of female friendship for years, changes to public transport networks to address the complex and diverse transport needs of women have been slow to materialise. 

Only one in five women in the UK feel safe when travelling alone at night”

TIER Mobility’s research collaboration with social enterprise Safe & the City found that only one in five women in the UK feel safe when travelling alone at night, and the gender imbalance present in how transport networks are designed has often resulted in women taking extra precaution when travelling around cities. These include opting for a taxi instead of public transport to avoid unwanted attention, or worse, harassment, from other passengers; or walking exclusively on main roads to avoid dimly lit back streets. These are not examples constructed to further a point – I make these same choices almost daily.

As a result, women’s journeys are often more expensive, time-consuming and, frankly, more exhausting than the journeys of their male peers. 

Bridging the gap

This is where micro-mobility can help to bridge the gap, supporting women to move safely, confidently and freely in cities.

The opportunity offered by micro-mobility is borne out by the research, with our research showing a demand for e-scooters amongst women in the UK, with two thirds reporting that they would try an e-scooter if it were available.

If we are to support women’s safety and unlock the potential of micro-mobility for all, we must explore the reasons behind this and find collaborative solutions”

However, while 73 per cent of women in the UK would feel safe riding an e-scooter during the day, at night this drops to just three per cent. While a reliable and available service is fundamental to support assured/planned journeys and uptake, denser fleets are not the silver bullet. If we are to support women’s safety and unlock the potential of micro-mobility for all, we must explore the reasons behind this and find collaborative solutions. We must partner with transport authorities and other organisations working in the transport and technology space, and continue to improve infrastructure and further enhance the integration of micro-mobility into the public transport mix.

Integration

Delivering transport infrastructure that meets the needs of all

Credit: TIER Mobility

TIER is working with partner organisations to play our part in helping women to move around their cities safely. For example, we recently partnered with the AI app Flare to offer an ‘SOS’ button, allowing riders to discreetly call for help if they feel vulnerable or unsafe when travelling. Through either voice activation or a tap of a button, the app sends a live tracking link to all nearby Flare users, as well as the rider’s five emergency contacts, to ensure that support arrives as soon as possible.

Women’s safety concerns are not binary but cross personal, physical, health and wellbeing and wider safety considerations”

Technological innovations like this, which take into account women’s unique feedback and experiences, can help them to feel safer when navigating cities – and yet, they are still few and far between.

Of course, when it comes to navigating cities safely, transport infrastructure plays a crucial role. All modes should be fully integrated in the urban transport mix, and travellers should have easy access to accurate, real-time transport information, to help women to accurately plan their journey and feel confident when timing their connections.

And it is not just the journey itself that we must consider, but the places in which journeys begin and end. Indeed, women’s safety concerns are not binary but cross personal, physical, health and wellbeing and wider safety considerations.

Our research shows that 25 per cent of women are worried about being stalked or followed, which means that they will feel particularly vulnerable when hopping on or off an e-bike or e-scooter. Women want to be in well-lit, populated areas with CCTV, so parking infrastructure must reflect this.

At TIER, we understand that integration can help to tear down the barriers that women face when navigating their cities. But, without proper consideration of the diverse needs of women, transport infrastructure will continue to only serve men. Unless we ensure that women’s transport needs are part of the conversation, infrastructure will continue to only fail them.

Safe travel should be a right, not a privilege”

Safe travel should be a right, not a privilege.

We will continue to work with our partners and governments to address the concerns of women, and to ensure that our cities’ transport networks are designed to reflect the needs of all.

Now in her second micro-mobility company with Unicorn status, Georgia Yexley, General Manager for UK & Ireland at TIER Mobility, has worked in partnership with hundreds of cities across the globe to reach their active and sustainable transport goals through micro-mobility. A firm believer that collaboration and partnership underpin sustainable services, Yexley is responsible for commercial performance, rider experience and community impact. Alongside this, she is a passionate advocate for inclusion and accessibility, and contributes to raising the volume of women and underrepresented groups in technology and mobility both in and outside of the workplace.