- Conference
- 2025 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 18 October 2024
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference the British Transport Police Authority reports and alarming rise in violent crimes against women and girls, with 11,357 incidents recorded in the year ending March 31, 2024, marking a significant increase from 9,464 the previous year.
Conference, we know that there are specific vulnerabilities faced by women, across the public sector and community voluntary sector, in public transport settings, particularly for those working early or late shifts such as cleaners, nurses and hospitality workers, who often encounter unsafe travel conditions during off-peak hours.
Conference believes that all women have the right to travel safely on public transport regardless of the time of day or night. Effective measures must be implemented to enhance the safety of women using public transport, particularly in the night-time economy.
For members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender plus (LGBT+) community, the risks can be significantly higher. Trans women face a growing level of hostility and violence from people who feel emboldened by misinformation and rhetoric from politicians, mainstream and social media. In addition, there has been a marked increase in violence and intimidation toward lesbians and bi+ women.
Conference believes that introducing comprehensive systems to regularly monitor, upgrade and repair lighting and communication systems across all public transport service to ensure well-lit and secure environments will help make public transport safer for women.
By addressing these critical issues, we can foster a safer, more inclusive public transport system for women.
We call on the National Women’s Committee to:
Work with the NEC and all the relevant structures in our union, including labour link to engage with the transport minister and relevant stakeholders to push for policies and funding aimed at improving safety measures within the public transport system.
Work with the NEC and all the relevant structures in our union, including our branches to conduct a survey to understand the experiences of women who use public transport, gathering data on their safety concerns and incidents to inform a campaign for better safety for women using public transport. Work with Labour Link to address any issues that come out of this survey,
Report back on progress at National Women’s Conference 2026.
