Blog post: Better safety on London’s buses – London TravelWatch

02 December 2024

Being safe and feeling safe whilst using public transport is a basic right that every passenger should expect and deserve. Sadly, however, it is something which many Londoners do not experience, including women, girls and those in the LGBTQ+ community.

So London TravelWatch has welcomed TfL’s recent announcement that they will be installing CCTV cameras at 15 bus shelters across the capital for a 12 month trial. This follows on from an earlier trial at five bus shelters and will enable the Metropolitan Police to access live footage and recordings from the cameras to support their investigations. TfL acknowledges in its long-term Bus Action Plan that it needs to ensure that physical infrastructure makes people feel comfortable waiting for a bus.

The importance of such a trial at London’s bus stops is particularly significant because of the crucial role the bus has in the functioning of the capital. It is London’s most accessible, affordable and city-wide form of public transport, and so unsurprisingly is the most used type of public transport in the city, with 1.9 billion journeys made by bus last year. Significantly in the context of safety concerns, previous London TravelWatch research about who uses the bus revealed that women use the bus more than other passengers.

What bus passengers have told us

The concern about safety whilst waiting at bus stops is particularly acute at night as this is when perpetrators of crime have the benefit of dark streets and fewer bystanders. In London TravelWatch’s research about personal security when travelling on London’s transport network almost three quarters of people (73 percent) said that night-time (10pm to early morning) is the least safe time to travel. People don’t want to be alone for an extended period as it makes them feel unsafe and potentially vulnerable.

It is not just the physical infrastructure at bus stops and bus stations which affects how safe passengers feel. At any time of day or night, the efficiency and reliability of the bus network has a significant impact too, with frequent and direct services reducing the risk of passengers being left stranded or waiting for a long time, which can be especially unsettling in unfamiliar or seemingly unsafe locations.

Uncertainty and discomfort about safety continues for many bus passengers once they are on the bus. Earlier this year we commissioned research to find out more about what passengers think and to help identify ways to boost the bus for our recent report The next stop: Making London’s buses better. In this research, many passengers expressed their concerns such as 37 percent saying there is too much anti-social behaviour on buses. Women in particular felt less safe on the bus, and certain times of day were worse than others (most notably at night).

Other issues experienced when travelling on the bus can also contribute to an unpleasant journey. Only 48 percent of people in our research said that buses are clean, with 41 percent saying that buses are too overcrowded, with no available seats. Such issues can make people feel unsafe, or at least uneasy, and do little to encourage people to make greater use of the bus.

How to make buses safer for everyone

It was clear from our research that bus passengers want the environment of bus travel to improve both when waiting for a bus and when travelling on the bus itself. Indeed, more than three-quarters of respondents (77 percent) told us that safer buses, bus stops and stations, with CCTV on buses and at bus stops, would encourage them to use buses more or start using them again in the future.

London TravelWatch believes that such an overwhelming view cannot be ignored and so in The next stop we call for TfL to improve the bus journey experience. By summer 2025, we have said that TfL should set out details on how it intends to introduce more upgrades to bus stops, including installing more bus shelters and making sure stops are accessible and secure, and how they will implement a comprehensive cleaning programme of buses. Improvements such as these – along with innovations such as the CCTV trial at bus stops – will help to make waiting for, and travelling on, a bus a safer, more secure and more comfortable experience for everyone.