Women’s Safety on Public Transport
Published: Tuesday 20 January 2026
Women’s Safety on Public Transport:
Key findings and recommendations
from TfWM’s 2025 report
Women’s safety on public transport remains a serious concern across the UK. In 2025, Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) was formally recognised as a national emergency, with thousands of offences recorded each day and many more going unreported. For many women, fear of harassment or assault when travelling continues to affect how, when, and whether they choose to use public transport at all.
To address these concerns, Transport for West Midlands commissioned an independent review of women’s safety across its transport network. The resulting Women’s Safety on Public Transport: Findings & Recommendations Report 2025 provides a detailed exploration of passenger experiences, current safety measures in place across the network, and the effectiveness of these measures when it comes to the safety of women and girls when travelling.
The report explores how safety is shaped not only by policing and enforcement, but also by culture, policy and the design of transport spaces. The findings also support the principles set out in the TFWM Bus Passenger Safety Charter, West Midlands Bus Passenger's Charter | Transport for West Midlands reinforcing the importance of clear standards, reporting, and a consistent approach to passenger safety. It highlights the ongoing issue of under reporting, the value of visible and trusted staff, and the role that awareness campaigns and staff training play in preventing unwanted behaviour. Rather than placing responsibility on women to change their behaviour, the report focuses on perpetrator accountability and system-wide change across the transport network.
Overall, the findings show that improving women’s safety on public transport requires action beyond enforcement alone. The full report explores these issues in more detail and sets out recommendations to support safer journeys for women and girls.
Read the full report here Women's Safety On Public Transport
