Commissioned by the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) and designed by Understood, Safer Travel for Women & Girls – Better for All is a new Driver CPC module currently rolling out nationally across bus and coach. It reflects a shared goal among operators, local authorities, government bodies, police and industry partners: making public transport safer for women and girls.
Women’s safety is a core area of focus at Women in Transport and we have a dedicated working group on the subject.
The Bus Services Act 2025 places greater focus on passenger safety, antisocial behaviour, and the safety of women and girls. For operators, this means giving frontline teams clear, consistent training. Drivers need to understand what to look for, what they can do, and how to report concerns appropriately.
The ambition for this programme is significant. The CPT hopes that over 60,000 transport colleagues will receive this training over the next five years. The UK's five largest bus operators (Stagecoach, First Bus, Arriva, Go-Ahead and National Express) are engaged with the programme, alongside organisations including Cardiff Bus, Newport Transport, Reading Buses, Trentbarton, Nottingham City Transport and Translink, all of whom have joined a Lead Trainer course so far.
Early feedback from drivers is extremely encouraging. 89% said they felt confident or very confident in:
Spotting behaviour that could be VAWG on public transport
Knowing what safe action they could take if something didn't feel right
Understanding when and how to report an incident
For more information on Lead Trainer and Train-the-Trainer courses taking place throughout the year, contact katherine@weareunderstood.com.