UK Government Proposes 'Stop Anywhere' Night Buses to Enhance Women's Safety
New guidance, set to be published by the British government, is expected to include recommendations for "stop anywhere" night buses as part of a broader initiative to make streets safer for women. This move aims to address widespread concerns about personal safety during nighttime travel.
Inspiration from International Success
The guidance is being drafted by the government agency Active Travel England (ATE) and will draw on global initiatives. In Vigo, Spain, ATE highlights the success of night bus request stops, which allow women and girls to disembark at any point along the route. This measure, launched jointly by Vigo City Council and Vitrasa, the city's bus company, is designed to combat gender-based violence by reducing the distance women walk alone from bus stops to their homes.
The service operates every night between 10:30 PM and 6:30 AM. To use it, women must inform the driver of their desired stop upon boarding the bus, providing a flexible and safer travel option.
Addressing Alarming Statistics
The new guidance comes in response to a YouGov poll released on Wednesday, 25 March, which found that nearly nine in 10 (88 percent) women have felt unsafe while walking at night. Additionally, seven in 10 women reported changing their routes to avoid walking in the dark during winter or darker months.
Key reasons behind these results include inadequate lighting, poorly maintained routes, personal safety fears, and antisocial behaviour. Most respondents indicated they would feel safer in their neighbourhoods if these issues were effectively addressed.
Funding and Implementation
Local councils will receive the recommendations later this year, accompanied by training sessions to outline safety considerations. Authorities can utilise their allocation from Active Travel England's £626 million funding pot to tackle street safety issues, including improvements that make walking safer and more appealing for women and girls.
Local Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood emphasised the urgency of the initiative, stating, "No one should worry about getting to their destination safely after dark, and these stats show just how much work there is to be done. This programme is turning conversations into real change by working directly with the councils who design our streets to ensure women and girls in our communities feel safe to walk, wheel, and cycle whenever they want to."
Broader Transport Safety Measures
Following the release of nationwide plans for safer streets, the Rail Delivery Group announced that the British Transport Police (BTP) and operators such as Transport for London, Network Rail, Transport for Wales, and Transport Scotland will implement new measures to combat violence and intimidation against women and girls.
The rail industry and BTP plan to enhance CCTV systems, introduce a specialised police unit to investigate high-harm sexual offences, increase the use of body-worn cameras, and improve vetting for customer-facing roles.
This comprehensive approach underscores the government's commitment to creating a safer environment for women across all modes of public transport, addressing both immediate concerns and long-term infrastructure improvements.
