Stagecoach South Wales drivers given women’s safety training

10 Sep 2024

Stagecoach South Wales has partnered with Welsh Women’s Aid and Aberystwyth University to deliver tailored women’s safety training to their drivers.

a group of stagecoach staff and Dr Lucy Baker standing by a PowerPoint

In Wales, 12% of women report feeling ‘very unsafe’ using public transport, and twice as many women as men state they do not use public transport for fear of their safety. A statistic that prompted Stagecoach South Wales to roll out tailored women’s safety training to all their drivers.

The training programme is part of a research project funded by The Waterloo Foundation looking at how women define safety while using public transport. Dr Lucy Baker from Aberystwyth University has carried out workshops and interviews with women in Wales to capture their lived experiences. The training covers topics such as indicators of domestic abuse, victim-blaming and how to report any safeguarding issues.

Mark Tunstall, Operations Director at Stagecoach South Wales, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Welsh Women’s Aid and Aberystwyth University to deliver such important training.

“We want to ensure that everyone who travels on a Stagecoach bus feels safe and welcomed. Delivering this training is the next step in developing our training offering to ensure our drivers have the skills they need to best serve all our customers.”

Dr Lucy Baker, Aberystwyth University, said: “It's very positive to see a collaboration between researchers, a charity and a transport company to make transport safer for women and girls.

“It’s good to see Stagecoach providing training specifically on women's safety for drivers it is one of the first bus companies to do so. This type of work is very important and is key to ensuring both passengers and staff are cared for.”

Sara Kirkpatrick,CEO, Welsh Women's Aid, said: ‘"WWA is delighted to be collaborating with a forward thinking company like Stagecoach, by providing this training to their drivers they are choosing to be part of the solution, contributing to Change that Lasts for everyone.”

Live Fear Free is a confidential, independent helpline. It’s free and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for advice and support. Anyone can call 0808 80 10 800, text 07860077333 or email info@ livefearfreehelpline.wales.