The 2025 Women in Transport Equity Index has revealed that the UK transport industry has made little progress on gender equality.
The sector-wide survey found that since 2023, the industry had either made no progress or experienced a backwards shift in key areas, including inclusion, pay equality and leadership progression.
The inclusive employer survey, featuring bespoke questions from global equity platform and Index partner Work180, gathered responses from 100 private and public organisations across sectors including rail, road, logistics, maritime, cycling, consulting, and government.
Chair of the all-party parliamentary group for Women in Transport, Elsie Blundell MP, said: “The Equity Index is an important step forward in our mission to create a more inclusive and representative transport sector. By measuring where we are and holding ourselves to account, we give ourselves the tools to drive real change.”
The 2025 Women in Transport Equity Index found that:
- Women account for just over a quarter (27%) of the workforce
- The overall score for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has slipped from 50% in 2023 to 47% this year.
- Nearly six in ten organisations (59%) disclose a gender pay gap of 11% or more.
- The proportion of UK organisations without plans to close the gender pay gap has risen sharply to 65%, up from 44% last year.
- Leadership roles outside the transport sector remain predominantly male, with women holding only 36% of these positions.
Speaking on the findings, Gemma Lloyd, Work180 CEO, said: “The data is clear: too many women in transport are stuck in support roles, underpaid, and excluded from leadership pathways. Unless accountability is embedded into governance, the sector will continue leaking talent it cannot afford to lose.”
London North Eastern Railway (LNER), Steer and First Bus stand out in the index as examples of organisations driving gender equality forward with targeted policies and strategies.
On this, the CEO of Women in Transport, Sonya Byers, added: “But excellence cannot remain isolated. To achieve sector-wide progress, we must move from recognition to replication. We need these practices to become the norm, not the exception.”
Following the survey, Women in Transport is urging the Government, industry leaders and regulators to take action to close the gap. This includes implementing gender and ethnicity pay gap audits, publishing annual public action plans, formalising leadership pathways, and establishing stronger links between procurement, franchising, funding, and DEI outcomes.
