Innovation for women’s mobility needs

The recent Covid-19 crisis continues to disproportionately affect women and girls as transport users and workers, intensifying pre-existing inequalities in the sector. This is happening even as innovation is transforming the transport sector at an unprecedented pace, removing barriers to the movement of people and goods

This latest compendium from the ITF-OECD, Women in Transport, assembles voices from the transport sector that highlight positive examples of how women as transport users can benefit from the innovations that are transforming the transport sector.

They show that the future of mobility can be more inclusive and sustainable where mobility services use technology and other innovative solutions adapted for women’s needs and where innovative approaches enhance women’s professional opportunities in transport.

Going forward, policy responses will be crucial to steer transport innovations to help address gender inequalities in the sector

The recent Covid-19 crisis continues to disproportionately affect women and girls as transport users and workers, intensifying pre-existing inequalities in the sector.

This is happening even as innovation is transforming the transport sector at an unprecedented pace, removing barriers to the movement of people and goods and changing peoples’ whole way of living and working.

Innovation can have a positive impact on women both as transport users and as professionals.

Women as transport users can benefit from the various services provided by innovative technologies, new business models and other innovations to adapt mobility options to their needs. Innovation can also open new opportunities for women’s employment in transport. 

This third edition of the ITF Compendium on Women in Transport showcases the role of innovation in promoting gender equality in the sector.

ITF stakeholder contributions, brought together here, highlight that innovation in transport – whether it implies new technologies, new business models or social innovation – should be designed to consider the needs of, and optimise access to opportunities for, all travellers. 

The authors present related challenges and propose solutions for transport innovations to serve women and girls, solutions that may ultimately result in more inclusive and sustainable transport. Examples are from different modes of transport, including aviation, road and rail, and it addresses related opportunities and challenges on the local, regional and global levels.