Scheme launched for buses to become safe spaces for vulnerable women

Frances writes: "I grew up in London. From an early age I travelled on the buses which passed our front door.  Public transport was a gateway to freedom for young people as we could hop on buses to visit our friends without the need to negotiate with parental car drivers, with all the family tension that entails. And as a young woman in the pre-Uber era the buses were there to offer us safety and protection as we travelled the city’s nightlife.  On a bus, there was aways someone else there, the driver, so, although there were sometimes uncomfortable incidents - the man sitting too close on the bench seats, or trying to chat you up - there was no real fear the situation would become unmanageable.

"Buses have always had a role in keeping the public safe and it’s brilliant that Stagecoach has teamed up with the police and Cambridge Rape Crisis to launch their project to protect women and girls, Buses and Businesses Against Abuse.  I attended the launch on 17 October at Milton Park and Ride and heard how bus drivers are being trained to be alert to abuse and respond to vulnerable women with immediate support. Buses can now be flagged down, even if not at a bus stop, by a woman who feels threatened and she can then be taken to a safe place. Full marks to Stagecoach and the team for this imaginative and innovative idea. 

"The majority of women experience incidents of sexual harassment, and a significant number suffer serious abuse and harm. This pervades society and damages all of us. It was rightly pointed out at the meeting that this cannot simply be a matter for the police. This project initiates a partnership approach, working to make Cambridgeshire safer for women and girls and prevent abuse before it happens as well as supporting the victims of crime."