National Express has partnered with the charity Women’s Aid to provide survivors of abuse with free coach travel across the UK.
The Road to Refuge scheme enables women, men and children who are escaping domestic abuse to reach a confirmed place of refuge arranged by a designated body.
National Express points out that those fleeing abuse often have to travel long distances away from the perpetrator and may not have access to sufficient funds, and that the initiative could help remove these barriers.
The partners in the scheme hope to emulate the success of the Women’s Aid’s Rail to Refuge programme, which National Express initially supported and under which 7,432 individuals, including 2,146 children, have been helped to safety in similar fashion via the rail network.
Farah Nazeer, Chief Executive of Women’s Aid, says: “Domestic abuse isolates survivors from their finances, making it incredibly difficult to escape to safety. We are delighted to be working with National Express on the Road to Refuge scheme, removing the financial barrier to fleeing abuse and helping survivors access safe refuge at no cost to them.
“It is a vital scheme for survivors who would otherwise be trapped and at a huge increased risk of further abuse. The Road to Refuge scheme will be truly lifesaving, giving survivors the opportunity to travel to vital, specialist support for free.”
Charlotte Masters, Customer Experience Director at National Express, adds: “We are proud to partner with Women’s Aid on the Road to Refuge scheme, offering survivors free travel to a safe place on our extensive coach network across the country.
“Our aim is to make the process of travelling as stress free as possible for survivors, taking away the financial barrier to escaping abuse and helping them reach their destination for help and support, safely.
“Survivors can now access free coach travel in an emergency, when fleeing to refuge.”
Under the scheme, a victim of abuse would seek support from domestic abuse service which is a member of Women’s Aid Federation of England, Imkaan, Scottish Women’s Aid or Welsh Women’s Aid and, if appropriate, would be referred to a refuge, which would then book a free coach or train ticket.
