Women and girls share their experiences on public transport and feeling safe

Date: 28th March 2023
Category: Equal protection from violence, Non-discrimination

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In early 2022, the Minister for Transport announced that the Scottish Government would consult on the safety of women and girls when using public transport to create tailored solutions to the issues raised. This article explores the issues and recommendations made by women and girls.

Here are some of the findings:

• Unanimously, women felt safer travelling in the day rather than at night or in the dark.
• Travel during the week was seen as less hazardous than travel at the weekend, largely due to perceptions that public transport attracted large crowds of often intoxicated passengers at weekends.
• Good lighting (especially at bus stops) and well-staffed stations gave the greatest comfort to women and girls. Although, in suburban and rural areas these features were reported to often being absent.
• Familiarity with routes, with drivers and fellow passengers, was a key feature in providing confidence when travelling alone. Where women did have to travel alone, use of technology (especially for younger and professional women) such as tracking apps, was something that provided reassurance.
• Anti-social behaviour was the most frequently cited concern that women had, with alcohol and drugs being seen to fuel much of the inappropriate behaviour towards women and girls.
• Young women were most likely to report being victims of sexual harassment, disabled women were most likely to report general anti-social or intolerant behaviour from fellow passengers and women from ethnic minorities were most likely to report extreme examples of verbal abuse (including both sexist and racist abuse).

Recommendations made by women and girls include:

• To explore the feasibility of increasing staff presence from start to finish of a journey, especially during times women and girls feel most vulnerable i.e. evenings and weekends.
• To develop more credible and accessible information and guidance for women and girls regarding what to do and who to contact if they feel threatened or unsafe or if they are victim to incidents when using public transport.
• To strengthen existing rules around non-consumption of alcohol on public transport

It is important to note that these recommendations must be accompanied by actions amongst those working in different sectors such as, in policing, education, equalities and more. A joined-up approach can help to challenge discrimination, improve safety for women and girls and encourage uptake of the Young Persons' Free Bus Travel Scheme.

• Read more about this consultation here.