The Transport Committee has opened an inquiry into how effectively the government is helping to keep women and girls safe when they travel.
That will see members, led by Chair Ruth Cadbury MP, examine what more can be done to help women and girls to make journeys without fear of violence, intimidation, or harassment. Work will include the exploration of whether government and transport providers “fully understand what women and girls often encounter,” Ms Cadbury says.
The inquiry will also seek to establish how meaningfully the Department for Transport (DfT) is contributing to the government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls. A strategy on VAWG sets out the steps to achieving that and observes how well-lit streets, accessible transport and thoughtful urban design can deter violence, reduce opportunities for harm, and “send a clear message that public spaces belong to everyone.”
Helping to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) is an imperative for the bus industry. The Bus Services Act 2025 in England includes plans to mandate that staff, including drivers and those based at bus stations, undertake training to recognise and handle incidents of antisocial behaviour, including VAWG.
Earlier this year, the Confederation of Passenger Transport launched a Driver CPC module for the coach and bus field that seeks to help tackle VAWG on those services.
In February, Local Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood said in a written answer that exploring expansion of provision and use of CCTV on the bus network to increase feelings of safety and support investigations is a further part of the DfT contribution to the government’s Safer Streets Mission.
She also noted how that extends to publication of statutory guidance by the end of 2027 on improving the safety and accessibility of bus stops and stations, to which local authorities must pay regard.
A further part of the Safer Streets Mission as noted by Ms Greenwood is scoping the feasibility of a national, cross-model reporting mechanism for harassment, VAWG and antisocial behaviour on public transport.
VAWG was declared a national emergency by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing in 2024. It has been found that at least one in every 12 women will be a victim each year, although the exact number is expected to be “much higher,” the Transport Committee says.
It is now seeking written evidence in response to any of the following questions:
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- How well do government and transport providers understand how safe women and girls’ journeys are, and what impact do perceptions of safety have on travel patterns? Is there a need to improve how data is gathered and used to identify and address risks?
- How effectively does DfT work with other departments, local authorities, transport providers and wider stakeholders to improve the safety of women and girls?
- Are the transport-related actions set out in the government’s strategy to reduce VAWG adequate to improve women’s safety, and is DfT making progress on implementing them?
- What preventative measures are most effective in reducing risk to women using transport?
- How can transport systems be designed or adapted to make women and girls feel safer while travelling?
- How can government ensure that transport systems effectively prevent and address violence and intimidation against all women and girls – including transport staff, disabled people, LGBT+ people, and people of colour and those from minority groups?
- What additional interventions are needed to ensure that women and girls feel and remain safe when making journeys?
- How should the government make most effective use of technology to ensure the safety of women and girls’ journeys, while protecting privacy?
- Are current reporting, response and enforcement processes and resources sufficient to tackle harassment and violence across public transport systems quickly and appropriately?
- How can agencies better identify patterns of offending behaviour or high-risk services and times of day within transport environments?
- What interventions or sanctions should be prioritised to deter repeat perpetrators on public transport?
Commenting on the inquiry, Ms Cadbury says: “The government is rightly ambitious about tackling violence against women and girls, and prioritising their safety in making journeys – whether on public transport, or walking, wheeling or cycling – is central to this.
“We will be examining what more can be done; whether current reporting, response and enforcement processes are up to the job; and how innovation and technology could help government to better ensure safer journeys for women and girls.”
Written evidence can be submitted via this portal.
