Chair of APPG for Women in Transport calls for urgent improvements to tackle sexual harassment on public transport
Parliamentary roundtable highlights critical need for better reporting, education, design and intervention measures.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Women in Transport has called for a more joined-up, preventative approach to tackling sexual harassment on public transport following a parliamentary roundtable bringing together policymakers and industry leaders.
The roundtable took place on 26 October at Parliament with speakers including:
· Scott Arthur MP, Officer of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Women in Transport
· Jo Field OBE, Women in Transport
· Richard Braham, Avanti West Coast
· Kathryn O’Brien, Avanti West Coast
· Anna McCreadie, Department for Transport
· Isobel Duxfield, Campaign for Better Transport
· Georgia Theodolou, Our Streets Now
· Daisy Chapman-Chamberlain, DfT Operator
· Kate Green, Transport for Greater Manchester
· Joely Hill, Transport Planning Society
· Ciara Jagger, Midlands Connect
· Carolyn Jay, Mott MacDonald
· Ruth Cumming, Staffordshire County Council
· Julie Tweedale, Freedom Personal Safety
· Rebecca Butler, Govia Thameslink Railway
Chair of the APPG, Julia Buckley MP for Shrewsbury, said:
"Everyone has the right to travel safely, confidently and without fear of harassment. Yet for too many women and girls, unwanted behaviour remains a routine part of their journeys, shaping how, when and even whether they travel.
"Our roundtable brought together voices from across the transport sector to explore not only how we respond to incidents of sexual harassment, but how we prevent them from happening in the first place.
"We will continue to work with government, operators and industry leaders to ensure the safety of women and girls is embedded across our transport network. Creating a safer transport system is a shared responsibility that demands collective action."
The discussion, titled "Everyone Has a Role: Preventing Sexual Harassment on Public Transport", explored the barriers to reporting, the importance of intervention and allyship, and the actions needed to improve safety and confidence across the transport network.
Chair of Women in Transport, Jo Field OBE, said:
"This important discussion demonstrated the commitment across the industry to make sexual harassment on the transport network a thing of the past. While progress has been made, there is still much more to do to understand the true scale of the problem and ensure women and girls feel safe throughout their entire journey.
"The roundtable reinforced the importance of educating passengers, improving data and focusing on inclusive rolling stock design. Most importantly, it highlighted that safety cannot be treated as an afterthought. It must be built into the operation of our transport networks from the outset, with women’s lived experiences informing design."
The APPG for Women in Transport will use the event to inform its response to the Transport Select Committee’s inquiry on safer journeys for women and girls.
The event was co-hosted by Avanti West Coast, reflecting the operator's ongoing commitment to creating a safer and more inclusive railway for passengers and colleagues.
Kathryn O’Brien, Customer Experience Director at Avanti West Coast said:
“Ensuring the safety of our customers is instrumental for us at Avanti West Coast. Preventing sexual harassment across the rail network, and beyond, requires collaboration across the industry and between different modes of transport. We’re proud of our long-term partnership with the APPG for Women in Transport, supporting their work to make our transport systems safer, and more accessible to everyone. By working together, we can help build a culture where inappropriate behaviour is not tolerated.”
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