July 2026 Newsletter
Dear Women in Mobility UK Community,
This month we are leading with something we are really proud of: the full recording of our Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV) webinar is now available to watch on demand. We also have a fresh round of mobility insights, a look ahead to the events worth your diary space this autumn, and the usual pointers to roles being advertised across the sector.
As ever, this is your community. If there is something you would like to see, a story to spotlight, or a milestone to celebrate, reach out to Sandra, Olga, Elaine or Jennie on LinkedIn. We would love to hear from you.
One small ask before you read on: if you find this useful, please forward it to a colleague or friend in the sector. The more of us in the room, the louder our voice. More on that at the end.
Warm wishes, The WiM UK team  ▶ In case you missed it: our CAV webinar is now on demand
Our cross-sector panel, Beyond the Tech: The Real-World Impact of Connected and Automated Vehicles, asked the questions that too often get left out of the driverless-car conversation. Not can CAVs work, but for whom, and who decides how that change unfolds. The discussion ranged across safety and personal security, designing for inclusion rather than a new access divide, the workforce and net-zero implications, and whether CAVs will complement or cannibalise public transport.
Watch the recording: https://youtu.be/Si0zTcHPQyY With thanks to our brilliant panel: Karla Jakeman (TRL), Rebecca Posner (RiDC), Susmita Das (Steer) and Mariat James Elizebeth (University of Warwick), chaired by Sandra Witzel. Read the companion article: Sandra Witzel set out the deeper questions for Local Transport Today, "Beyond the tech: the real questions around Connected and Automated Vehicles." A useful read to share with anyone in your team grappling with CAV strategy. transportxtra.com | beyond the tech the real questions around connected and automated vehicles Enjoyed the session? Forward this to one person who should have been in the room. Mobility Insights Spotlight
1. Transport's pay gap: new action plans, but are they enough? For a sector carrying persistent pay gaps and stalled progress on women's representation, a new accountability tool is welcome, but its reach is limited. Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, employers with 250 or more staff can now publish an action plan alongside their gender pay gap data, choosing at least one action each to narrow their pay gap and to support employees experiencing menopause. The catch: it is voluntary, and only due to become mandatory from spring 2027, subject to legislation not yet made, with the first compulsory plans unlikely before 2028. The 250-staff threshold leaves out many smaller transport operators, transport tech companies and consultancies, where pay gaps are just as real but far less visible. A step worth welcoming, but one to watch, and to push our own organisations to go beyond.
2. A roadmap to an accessible railway, co-designed with disabled people The Government's accessible railways roadmap sets out concrete actions ahead of Great British Railways, including a commissioned study into level boarding, additional Changing Places fully accessible toilets, and a dedicated accessibility chapter in the Key Train Requirements guidance, co-designed in consultation with disabled people and representative groups. It is a welcome example of the "co-design from day one" principle our CAV panel argued for, applied to policy.
3. What we can learn from the EU: France's on-demand night bus stops A simple, low-cost idea from France is worth borrowing. Under "descente à la demande", passengers travelling late at night can ask the driver to set them down between official stops, as close to their destination as is safe, rather than walking from a distant stop through deserted streets. Enabled by national mobility law and a government implementation guide, it has been rolled out progressively and is open to everyone, but it directly answers a gendered fear: the walk home in the dark. The lesson for us: not every safety improvement needs new infrastructure or budget. France's own transport ministry describes the scheme as effective, inexpensive, simple to introduce and with no impact on operations, exactly the kind of measure UK networks could pilot at pace.
Events Spotlight A look ahead to gatherings worth your time over the coming months.
Public Sector Fleet & Transport Conference 2026 - London, 7 July 2026Relevant for those in public transport, local authorities, fleet decarbonisation, transport planning and policy.Public Sector Fleet & Transport Conference 2026
UTSG Annual Conference 2026 - Guildford, 13-15 July 2026Great for professionals interested in transport research, policy, behavioural science, transport planning and academia-industry collaboration.Next Conference: UTSG2026 – UTSG
Transport Practitioners' Meeting (TPM) 2026 - Manchester 15-16 July The must-attend annual meeting for transport planners, modellers and placemakers, run by PTRC and CILT(UK). Heading to Manchester this year, with the Bee Network and bus franchising as a fitting backdrop, plus a strong focus on an inclusive speaker line-up. https://transportconference.co.uk/2026tpm/
European Transport Conference 2026 - Porto, 9-11 September 2026 Europe's oldest multi-disciplinary, multi-stream transport conference, run by the Association for European Transport. A genuinely welcoming space spanning policy, research and delivery across all modes, and a great option for those building European connections. https://trimis.ec.europa.eu/event/european-transport-conference-4
InnoTrans 2026 - Berlin, 22-25 September 2026 The world's leading trade fair for transport technology, across rail, public transport and infrastructure. This year's themes lean heavily into AI, automation and autonomous public transport, so plenty to interest anyone following the CAV conversation. The Women in Rail Award ceremony will also take place here. https://www.innotrans.de/en
Highways UK 2026 - NEC Birmingham, 14-15 October 2026 The road infrastructure, transport and mobility supply chain gathers for a multi-track conference alongside the exhibition floor, covering strategic investment, local delivery, digital twins and sustainability. https://www.hauc-uk.org.uk/events/highways-uk-2026 Job Opportunities Here are some transport and mobility roles currently being advertised in the UK: Principal Consultant - Future of Mobility - WSP Principal Consultant | WSP
Slough Borough Council - Transport & Major Works Manager Transport & Major Works Manager | Slough Borough Council
Deputy Director Service Ownership - Department for Transport Deputy Director Service Ownership | Department for Transport | Civils Service Jobs
Senior Engineer - (Highway Interpretation and Digitisation Project) Senior Engineer | Kirklees Metropolitan Council
Recruiting for a role yourself? Send it to us on LinkedIn and we will feature it next month. 📣 Help us grow: share this newsletter
Everything we do at Women in Mobility UK gets stronger with more voices in the community. If just one part of this edition was useful to you, the single best thing you can do is forward it to a colleague or friend who works in, or is curious about, transport and mobility.
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