Our bus system is built for men – and it's leaving women stranded
It's called 'public transport', so why do our buses let us down so much?
Finally, we've moved! After all the hassle of unsigned title deeds and then a boiler that was an ex-boiler, we're in our new home and busy decorating, unpacking boxes and arguing about which one of us has the worst taste.
But we've also been getting to know our new area and the delights to be had. And there are many delights in Dundee – especially to a girl brought up surrounded by barmaids and now a bar owner (my nephew: quick plug for the Brandling Villa in Newcastle). There's a great selection of traditional pubs here that have never and will never feature neon, which is just how we like it.
What we don’t like, however, is the journey home. In our short time here, we’ve already been inducted into "The Mystery of the Bus Timetable" – a thriller with more twists than an Agatha Christie novel.
Welcome to the bus lottery
Our villains are the Stagecoach app and Dundee Bus Station noticeboard, which within 20 minutes told us: the bus is on time; no, it's delayed by 20 minutes; no, it's on time; no, it's already been; no – spoiler alert! – it’s going to be another 45 minutes. By that point I sensibly suggested to Mr SoH that we grab another drink to get inside and stay warm – only for the bus to pull into the station, confounding both the app and the noticeboard.
Public Transport Palaver is not just a game played in Dundee, however. In Newcastle, it takes on a form called: "How Many Number 40s Can Arrive at Once?" Waiting for one the other Sunday, I got chatting to a local hospital worker in the queue with us who said she regularly waited 35 minutes and more for a service that is supposed to be every 20 minutes. True to form, two then arrived together.
There's one word I want to highlight in that story: "she". Because odds are that if you're waiting for a bus, you're more likely to be standing next to a woman than a man. Women make 30% more bus journeys a year than men – an average of 56 to 43 – and that's true for every age group except for 0-16-year-olds.
But not only do we use public transport more, we have an entirely different experience to men – and one bus companies need to start understanding.
Buses aren't built for women's lives
Let’s start with the basics: women don’t use public transport the same way men do. We do a thing called trip-chain so instead of going from A to B, we tend to go from A to B to C to D and then back to A, usually while carrying a bag that weighs as much as a small child. We’re more likely to be juggling work, childcare, errands and looking after older members of the family. We also tend to travel at off-peak hours, when services are less frequent, and rely more on buses for shorter journeys within our city, town, or neighbourhood.
Bus services aren’t designed for this. They follow what's called a "hub and spoke" model, with one central bus station or interchange and then routes spiking off that. For commuters with a simple goal – get to the workplace and then back home at the end of the day – this is perfect. But it is far less efficient for women with our more complex way of using public transport. Instead of helping us get to where we need to go, we're often left stranded – literally and figuratively.
Other cities do this better. Vienna redesigned its public transport based on how women actually use it, adding more direct routes and better-lit stops. In Canada, some cities allow women to request stops closer to their homes after dark. If they can do it, why can’t we?
See it, say it, sorted? I wish
Take bus reliability, for example. For the year ending March 2024, 80% of "non-frequent" services (that's fewer than six buses per hour) in England ran on time. Sounds good, doesn't it? Until you realise "on time" means anywhere between 1 minute early and 5 minutes 59 seconds late – a nearly seven-minute gap to factor in on top of waiting at a central hub for your next connection.
Of course, that also means one in five buses is late or just doesn't turn up. For women trip-chaining throughout the day, that’s not just a pain; it’s a logistical nightmare. It throws off carefully planned schedules, adds stress to shift work and can even impact job security or childcare.
But unreliable buses don’t just make our lives harder – they make them more dangerous.
"The Mystery of the Bus Timetable" took place at a bus station in the early evening. There weren't many people around, but I was with Mr SoH so felt safe. If it had been later or if I'd been by myself, I'm not sure I'd have felt so secure. I definitely wouldn't if I'd been at a poorly lit bus stop in the middle of nowhere. I'd have done what women everywhere do – put my keys between my fingers like a Poundland Wolverine.
Why? Well nearly three-quarters of us (71%) have experienced sexual harassment on public transport – and some of the tales I hear are horrendous and should end in jail sentences. But they don't. Most go unpunished because we don't report them. We just try to get away as quickly – and safely – as possible.
The impact of this is huge. A Transport for London survey found that one in three women avoid public transport at night due to safety concerns. Some spend money they don’t have on taxis; others simply stay home. For low-income women, who are disproportionately affected by bad transport, that’s not a choice. It’s a barrier to jobs, education and a social life.
Better buses = better lives for women
In truth, trying to get around without a car is a daily battle and its women who are hit hardest.
If we want more women in the workforce, we need better buses.
If we want gender equality, we need better buses.
If we want women to feel safe at night, we need better buses.
This isn’t just about timetables. It’s about infrastructure, safety and fairness. We need bus services designed around real local needs – with fair fares, better connections and timetables and routes that work for the people who actually use them.
Until then, it’s women who’ll continue to struggle, watching the bus turn the corner just as we order another drink…