Data and collaboration will be key to tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) on buses, Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) Director of Policy and External Relations Alison Edwards told the ALBUM conference in Blackpool on 13 May.
VAWG includes stalking, harassment, and controlling and coercive behaviour. Ms Edwards notes that while the industry in England is required via the Bus Services Act to continue to take that matter seriously as a legal and moral responsibility, “it is also the commercially sensible thing to do.”
Incidents of VAWG on buses will dissuade women and girls from using the mode, but she notes how surveys show that passengers feel safer when on the bus than waiting for it. The trade body wants to collate data on a true picture of VAWG and antisocial behaviour on buses for multiple reasons.
It is difficult to argue for more transport safety officers or police presence in hotspots without data to illustrate the problem, and it is also tricky to showcase best practice in tackling VAWG and antisocial behaviour without hard proof that incidents have reduced. Pushing back against any mainstream media sensationalism also requires data, she notes.
Working with members to get that intelligence on VAWG and other antisocial behaviour is a priority for CPT in 2026. While that will begin with large operators in recognition of it being the fastest way to build a picture, SMEs keeping track of instances is equally important, Ms Edwards says.
Government policy includes scoping a national reporting mechanism for VAWG across all modes of transport. That illustrates the collaborative approach needed to stamp it out, Ms Edwards continues.
CPT is currently speaking with some local authorities about them funding ‘train the trainer’ courses for a Driver CPC module on VAWG that debuted in March. “Developing and rolling out this training material is just the start of [our] activity to support the industry in tackling antisocial behaviour and VAWG,” she adds.
Local authorities should also assist with passenger reassurance. That includes lighting at and on routes to and from stops, and provision of real-time information. Placement at stopping points of material describing what is not acceptable behaviour is also cited as a benefit.
“Tackling antisocial behaviour and VAWG that affects bus travel is not something that we are going to fix overnight, and we are not going to fix it on our own,” Ms Edwards says.
Highlighted by a conference delegate was how worries around VAWG do not only capture female passengers, but drivers and other bus staff too. They cite instances of women bus drivers feeling unsafe when leaving vehicles for comfort breaks, and in some instances, members of the public entering depots, particularly those in operation 24/7.
Another delegate who leads a medium-sized bus operation adds that it found the local police knew more about incidents on buses than the operator. They suggest that such a learning may indicate that passengers can lack confidence to approach bus drivers.
