Figure 1 Bus shelter and seats at a London bus stop. In the UK only one-third of women have driving licences, and only one-fourth have access to a car when they need it. Because women are more dependent upon public transport, a commitment to public transport is also a commitment to women’s rights (photo by Eddie Tulasiewicz)

This paper has been written by the Women and Transport Forum, a group of professional women working for the Greater London Council (GLC). Beyond our own experience as urban women, some of us with children, we have tried to develop our sensitivity towards the problems faced by unwaged women, Black and ethnic minority women, women with disabilities, lesbians, women who live in rural areas, young and older women, all of whom have different experiences of and needs for public transport. For example, in the past we felt we had achieved much by persuading the planners to collect and break down data by gender. Now we know that this still conceals as much as it reveals.1 Black women’s travel patterns are often different from those of white women’s. Some ethnic minority women have the additional fear and reality of racist attack to deter them from using public transport. For elderly women the distance to the nearest bus stop is crucial. The

differences in our requirements need to be examined at every stage of planning and campaigning so that we provide and are provided with transport for all of us. The issues surrounding women’s employment are also vital to this discussion. They are mentioned in this paper only in passing owing to space limitations.