Blog Insight

Mind the Gender Gap

March 2, 2026 3 min read

Mind the Gender Gap

6:32

What are the barriers to mobility for women and girls, and how can we break through them?

For International Women’s Day 2026, the theme Give to Gain challenges every individual and organisation to ask what it can give to create real progress for women.

At Kuba, that question led us to launch Mind the Gender Gap, a campaign to throw the spotlight on some of the inequalities faced by women and girls as they use public transport, and to ask ourselves and the industry at large: how can we remove these barriers?

Confidence gaps

One of the biggest obstacles is fear. For many women globally, fear to some extent shapes their journeys, dictating how they move around. Fear might not be gut-wrenching, preventing them from travelling at all, it could be a nagging feeling that subtly affects their choices.

Choosing a different route.
Leaving earlier.
Avoiding a late connection.

When that happens, mobility shrinks. And when mobility shrinks, so does opportunity, independence and confidence.

Transport design gaps

For decades, networks were optimised around a predictable commuter: peak hour, linear trips, home to work and back again. But that’s not how many women travel. Networks built on the wrong assumptions need an intentional rethink with every passenger in mind.

For women, journeys are often multi-stop and multi-purpose. School drop-offs, caring responsibilities, work, shopping, socialising – the trips that link different aspects of many women’s lives are off-peak, time-sensitive, and rarely simple.

Navigating this complexity depends on reliable services, clear information, fares that don’t penalise them for the way they have to travel. Anything short of this causes friction that can feel like exclusion – especially with safety concerns in the mix as well.

Unfortunately, public transport has yet to consistently and fully support women through its design and technology. The reasons for that are many – among them, lack of funding and people resources, data gaps, and legacy systems that are hard to shift from.

But for networks willing and able to consider change, technology already has many of the answers they are looking for about how to build services that meet women’s needs.

Closing the gaps: what transport networks must give

If women are to gain confidence, opportunity and freedom, transport systems have to give more. From a technology perspective, that starts with three essential foundations: predictability, visibility and flexibility.

Predictability builds confidence

Unreliable services don’t just hurt KPIs , they increase exposure time for passengers. Long, uncertain waits often happen in environments where women report feeling unsafe. When a bus is late and there’s no update, anxiety rises, and feelings of vulnerability escalate.

Visibility gives back control

When passengers can see exactly when their vehicle will arrive, whether it’s delayed, how busy it is and how their connections line up, they feel in control. They can time their arrival instead of waiting in the dark. They can decide instead of guess.

Real-time information has been shown to significantly reduce perceived waiting time – and perception matters. Clear, live updates mean women feel less “stuck” and more empowered. That shift – from uncertainty to clarity – is powerful.

Flexibility reflects real lives

Fare systems have long assumed tidy, linear travel patterns – but the reality for women is messier. Account-Based Ticketing changes that. Instead of forcing passengers to calculate the “right” ticket upfront, the system works it out afterwards.

Pay-as-you-go
Automatic fare capping.
Seamless multimodal travel.

Game-changing for all passengers – and women feel the benefits especially.

These systems remove guesswork from complex trips and support more inclusive pricing. They generate data that gives authorities insight into how people actually move. With that, planning decisions are smarter, and networks become more equitable by design, over time.

Technology that builds trust

Taking a look at what we at Kuba can do for networks that want to close the gender gap – we can offer consultation and guidance on the essential technology that builds trust and confidence, and shapes public transport to better meet women’s needs.

Imagine how much more confidence women might have travelling on a network that promises real time information at every bus stop, on every platform, on every vehicle.

Imagine the calm that comes from holding a smartphone in your hand, knowing you can access information on the go, and plan and adapt journeys independently.

Imagine the stress avoided by being able to travel using a smartphone instead of a ticket, stringing multi-modal journeys together – and getting the best fare automatically.

We don’t think for a minute that technology is the whole solution. Infrastructure, lighting, staffing and policy all matter. But digital systems increasingly shape the everyday journey. And those systems can either build friction – or remove it.

When we ask the industry to Mind the Gender Gap, we’re urging a mindset shift. A commitment to making choices that are consistently motivated by bringing the same access and opportunities to women and girls, as to other passengers.

Fear shouldn’t shape the journey. Systems shouldn’t build barriers. We have the tools to design something better. The question is whether we’re ready to give more – so women and girls can truly gain.

Voices from the pitch

We’re thrilled to team up with our partners Harlequins Women to bring their voice to this important issue. Supporting our Mind the Gender Gap campaign, captain Jade Konkel says:

“When women feel safe travelling, they can live life to the full. Mind the Gender Gap is about asserting their right to get where they want to be – whether that’s to attend games, train late, work confidently, or lead fully. We support our official club partner Kuba in this initiative to highlight the simple ways we can start to design the public transport that women deserve.”