Sharing secrets of better industry inclusivity, and better transport for all

Helen Clifford’s story is remarkable enough on its own: in 1984, she became London Transport’s first female mechanic, walking into a world of workshop pin-up calendars, no women’s changing facilities and a culture that simply wasn’t designed for women, and she’s now been recognised for it.

In this edition of Highways Voices, recorded at the London Transport Museum during celebrations marking the unveiling of a blue plaque in her honour, she reflects with warmth and humour on what it was really like to break barriers in one of Britain’s most male-dominated industries.

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But this episode is about far more than one pioneering career. Transport for London’s Director of Buses, Lorna Murphy, explains why inclusivity matters to the future of transport, why the industry still has a long way to go, and how getting more women into buses and highways ultimately creates better services for everyone.

The conversation also broadens into a discussion about the future of public transport itself. Murphy shares TfL’s thinking on how cities can encourage more people onto buses through affordable fares, seamless interchange and giving public transport priority on increasingly crowded roads. She also offers practical advice for local authorities taking greater control of their bus networks, arguing that successful regulation must focus relentlessly on what passengers actually need, from frequency and reliability to waiting environments and easy connections.

Alongside reflections on joining the industry from Highways News’s new recruit, Libby McMahon, this uplifting episode celebrates progress, challenges assumptions and explores how buses remain central to cleaner, better-connected cities.

Highways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.