Spike in violence towards female commuters

Violent attacks against women while they commute on British railways have more than doubled since 2021, according to shocking new data from the British Transport Police Authority’s 2024 Annual report. The data, first reported by The Times, also revealed that the number of sexual offences is up 10% over the same period, while sexual harassment reports doubled. 

A separate British Transport Police (BTP) survey, released last year, reported more than a third of all women travelling by rail would be assaulted during their commute. BTP data also indicates that most assaults occur during the evening rush hour when trains are packed and busy.

While shocking, this level of violence is nothing new. The Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN), at the Office for National Statistics published in 2022 reported that women aged 16 to 34 years felt the most unsafe of any age and sex group using any kind of public transport alone, particularly after dark.

These latest figures will resonate with the UK’s female commuting workforce, especially as we approach the October clock change that means darker evenings and mornings spent on trains and buses.

While businesses have a legal obligation and duty of care to safeguard their staff during working hours, currently this legally ends at clock-off time. To date, there is no official legislation or guidance that places responsibility on the employer to protect their employees on the way into work and back home again. Yet the reality is that female employees face a significant risk. 

The latest stats only further the bolster the case for UK employers to take greater responsibility for employee safety on the daily commute.

Employers extending their duty of care to protect employees on their commute is a growing expectation for employers of all genders, according to Peoplesafe research.

One in five employees Peoplesafe spoke to (22%) cited safety concerns as a reason they chose to leave their job. These safety concerns were felt by all types of workers, with 60% of everyone questioned admitting that they even felt unsafe travelling to and from work during unsociable hours.

51% of UK employees surveyed believe that their employer has a duty of care to protect them outside of working hours.

So, just how difficult would it be to add commuter peace of mind and safety to a company’s list of employee benefits? The answer is, not very difficult at all. Or costly. Over a million free personal safety apps have already been downloaded by people proactively seeking additional reassurance as they go about their daily lives.

However, research published by BMC in June 2022 found that while people downloading these free apps found them useful, they also reported them as being unreliable, not working as described and/or having features that could be exploited.

Naz Dossa, Peoplesafe CEO of and BSIA chair of the Lone Working Group says: “How much more shocking do these statistics need to be before effective action is taken? Any employer who requires a female employee, or any employee for that matter, to travel as part of their work remit has a responsibility to provide effective safety measures. Leading companies are going beyond compliance to ensure the safety of their staff by turning to technology to provide protection, now all employers need to step up.

“This level of employee safety must be made mandatory. It’s time for more businesses to take more responsibility to support in this growing crisis.”

Emma Langley-Clark, interim CEO at leading VAWG charity the Suzy Lamplugh Trust says, “We have campaigned tirelessly to see better action on violence against women and girls (VAWG) crimes on public transport, demanding new legislation and decisive action on these abhorrent crimes. Despite this, new figures from British Transport Police reveal that VAWG crimes on trains actually rose by 50% between 2021 and 2023. It is simply unacceptable that women and girls are not free to travel without fear of harassment, aggression, and abuse. 

It is crucial that police take all reports of unwanted behaviours seriously, including sexual harassment, and provide a sensitive and trauma-informed response to victims. Incidents of VAWG on public transport must be dealt with by utilising new Protection from Sex-Based Harassment Act that the Trust, alongside partners in the VAWG sector, campaigned for. However, to ensure systemic change throughout the criminal justice system, better training is needed for police and prosecutors to respond to unwanted behaviours on public transport, particularly sexual harassment, and sexual assault.”