Tackling The Gender ‘Pedal Gap’: Women’s Night Safety Report 2023

Lime is the world’s largest provider of shared electric bikes and e-scooters. Founded in 2017, our mission is to help build a future of transport that is shared, affordable, and carbon-free. Lime has powered more than 500 million rides in more than 280 cities across five continents. Launching in the UK in 2018, Lime currently runs e-bike and e-scooter schemes in London, Milton Keynes, Salford (e-scooter only), Derby (e-bike only) and Nottingham (e-bike only).

It is well known that women are less likely to cycle than men in the UK, with men making almost three times as many cycling trips compared to women (UK Government, 2022). In this report we set out to understand the extent of this gender disparity and identify potential solutions through the analysis of an external poll of the general public in the UK, surveys of Lime riders in the UK, and qualitative case studies from Lime riders in the UK. It produced findings concerning the barriers women face to cycling, in particular regarding travelling alone at nighttime, as well as identifying clear solutions to tackle the gender ‘pedal gap’ and help make cycling safer and more accessible.