Enterprise Flex-E-Rent is urging companies operating in the van sector ensure the industry is responsive and inclusive to the needs both of women and self-employed workers.

The calls from Enterprise Flex-E-Rent follow the company’s analysis of Office of National Statistics data which shows the total number of van drivers increasing by 19% in the past five years, the number of self-employed drivers has increased by 53% and the number of female drivers has doubled.

Women now represent around one in every 15 professional van drivers in the UK, while five years ago the number stood at one in 25.

Danny Glynn, managing director of Enterprise Flex-E-Rent, which has one of the UK’s largest short-term and flexible van rental fleets, said: “The number of vans and van drivers in the UK is increasing to support growth across a wide number of industries. But that’s only part of the picture.

“There is also a sharply changing dynamic in terms of how people are working in the industry, as well as in the diversity of the UK’s van driving population.

“It’s vital that as an industry we work together to create an inclusive culture that is responsive to the needs of both gig workers and women.”