Automated Passenger Services Safeguarding Research
What is the study about?
The DfT has enabled the piloting of APS. These are vehicles that carry passengers without a driver in charge of the vehicle. As this is a novel way of travelling within existing modes of transport, the DfT has commissioned this study to better understand the safeguarding implications of APS, gather evidence of good practice and inform future deployment of APS in the UK.
Safeguarding refers to protecting passengers, staff and vulnerable groups from physical and psychological harm. APS creates a different travel environment from traditional transport modes such as taxis, buses and trains. Without a driver or staff member inside the vehicles, passengers may instead rely on technologies such as remote assistance, CCTV, in-app communications and other automated systems.
As part of the study, NatCen is inviting operational and frontline staff from a range of transport modes to take part in research discussions. These discussions will explore safeguarding practices and challenges in existing transport modes and identify lessons and best practice applicable to APS.
Who is conducting the study?
The DfT has commissioned the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to conduct this study. NatCen is an independent social research organisation with 50 years of experience working to improve people’s lives through research.
How do I register my interest?
If you’d like to take part, please register your interest by completing this short survey (around 2 minutes) via the link.
It includes a few questions about your role, organisation and involvement with passenger safeguarding and safety to help determine your eligibility. It will be used to collect your contact details (including your work email and phone number). If you are selected to take part in this research, a member of the NatCen research team will get in touch. Please note that we may not be able to hold discussions with everyone who registers their interest in taking part.
Why should I take part?
This is an opportunity to share your views and expertise to inform future policy and deployment of APS in the UK. Frontline and operational participants who are eligible under the study criteria will receive a £40 Love2shop voucher in recognition of the time required to take part and the practical challenges of taking time away from day-to-day duties. NatCen will confirm eligibility with each participant before the interview.
What will taking part involve?
A NatCen researcher will have a one-to-one discussion with you. The discussion will take up to 30 minutes and will take place online (via Microsoft Teams) between 19th October and 6th November. If you choose to take part, a NatCen researcher will schedule a discussion at a time convenient for you.
The discussion will cover a range of topics, including:
- Your experiences of and views on safeguarding challenges within your transport mode, including those that may arise when there is no onboard staff member.
- Your views on how passengers can report and escalate incidents remotely and what staff need to manage incidents remotely.
- Your views on the safeguarding risks, wellbeing risks and support needs of passengers and staff working in APS, including remote operators and in-person support personnel.
- Your views on good practice that could be transferred to APS, and your recommendations for future APS operations.
There are no right or wrong answers: we are just interested in hearing what you think.
If you give your permission, the discussion will be recorded securely using Microsoft Teams and transcribed using Microsoft Transcribe. Only the NatCen research team will have access to your recording, which will be stored securely at NatCen.
Do I have to take part?
No, it’s entirely up to you. If you choose to take part in a discussion, you are free to skip any questions you’d prefer not to answer and can stop at any time. You can also change your mind after completing a discussion at any point until 9th November 2026 when analysis begins. You can withdraw your data by contacting the research team using the details at the end of this page.
Can I have special arrangements?
Yes. If you are selected to take part, you can discuss any specific requirements with the researcher when they contact you. This includes, for example, if you want to take regular breaks, see a list of the topics to be discussed beforehand, have someone with you during the discussion or to use live closed captioning (i.e. subtitles) to help you follow the discussion.
Our researchers will be aware of your requirements before the discussion. However, we will also ask you at the start of the discussion whether there is anything else you need.
What happens to the data collected for this project?
The information that we collect will be used for research purposes only. What you say during the discussion will be used to write a report for the DfT, which will be published on their website. The report will be written in a way that protects participants' anonymity as far as possible, and we will not include names or other information that could directly identify you. We may quote individual participants in the report, but we will not use names or include any details that can identify you personally.
All personal data relating to this research will be kept securely in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). All personal information, and any other data held on the project, will be used only for research purposes and will be securely deleted six months after project completion. Further information on how we will use and store personal information is provided in our Privacy Notice.
Will anyone else find out what I have told you?
If you take part, NatCen will treat everything you share as confidential. This means we will not share details of what you say with anyone outside the research team. We will also anonymise participant data, which means we will take all reasonable steps to remove information that can identify you in the final report.
However, please note that as we are holding discussions with a small number of people, it may be possible that individual views could be recognised by the people who were involved in approaching you to take part (e.g. your employer or the DfT). At the end of the discussion, the NatCen researcher will ask you whether there is anything you shared that you do not want us to include in the final report. Any information you ask us to remove will be excluded from the discussion notes and analysis.
In the unlikely event that information is shared which indicates a serious risk of harm to you or another person, NatCen may need to take appropriate action in line with its safeguarding policies.
Contact us
You can also contact NatCen’s research team to ask any questions about the study. Please contact us on APSResearch@natcen.ac.uk.