via UNSPLASH
The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has commissioned the agency Understood to build a new training module to support bus and coach drivers to identify and report violence against women and girls (VAWG).
The Government has pledged to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade, and the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill will strengthen requirements for driver training to manage anti-social behaviour more broadly.
To support this, CPT and its members worked with partners including trade unions, the White Ribbon campaign and Women’s Aid over several months to develop a training package to prepare bus and coach drivers to identify and report VAWG incidents.
The package includes a series of video clips and interactive activities to highlight different scenarios drivers may experience, and how their behaviour can help to defuse situations without putting themselves in danger. The CPT says the initiative marks a vital step in the industry’s commitment to ensuring that all passengers feel safe on buses.
CPT Operations Director Keith McNally said: “We believe everyone should feel safe and comfortable using public transport, but sadly we know this isn’t always the case. This training is an important step for our industry, supporting drivers in recognising VAWG and knowing what to do, helping them to lead the way in creating a safer public transport system across the country. Thank you to Understood for being such great partners in this work.” Director of Understood Carolyn Quainton commented on the work: “We’re proud to be working with CPT to get this important training module up and running. However, we recognise that training alone is not sufficient for tackling violence against women and girls; we believe training must sit alongside a wider system of support bringing people and organisations across communities together.”
