Following the United Nation’s Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in November, Bus Users UK has joined forces with Women in Transport to highlight how to make public transport safer. The two organisations have come up with an action plan aimed at making public transport safer for people travelling, working on or running bus services in order to remove barriers to travel and encourage more people to get on board. It includes advice on how to spot the signs that someone is being harassed or abused, what action to take, and what operators can do to understand and improve the passenger experience.
Figures cited in the plan show that women make more bus journeys than men and tend to be the primary carers of young children and older relatives. As a result, they are often reliant on buses to provide vital access to education, medical appointments, shops and employment, and improving safety while travelling is said to not only make buses more accessible, but also make them more attractive, increasing the potential for modal shift and its associated environmental, social and economic benefits.
Sonya Byers, CEO of Women in Transport, said: “The research from Transport Champions for the ‘Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls’ strategy Laura Shoaf and Anne Shaw demonstrated that increasing safety across transport is vital to unlocking opportunities for women and girls. Improving safety across transport is a complex issue that requires a multi-faceted approach but there are small practical actions that each of us can take as individuals. In the longer term, continuing to increase representation of women in our transport workforce will contribute to making our bus and other transport networks safer for everyone.”
