Personal safety on transport

About the study

Personal safety is a central concern for transport users and an essential condition for inclusive, accessible transport. The Department for Transport (DfT) is committed to improving personal safety and perceptions of safety on the transport network. 

This study, commissioned by the DfT and conducted by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), provides new evidence on how safe people feel when getting to, waiting for and travelling on public transport, and on the prevalence of behaviours which impact personal safety, such as anti-social behaviour, harassment, discrimination, violence, and sexual assault on public transport.

Findings

• Most adults in GB felt at least fairly safe on public transport, but females felt less safe than males, and young females felt especially unsafe.
• The study used segmentation analysis and identified when and where people feel safe, and how that relates to their personal characteristics. Only 16% of young women felt safe almost all the time, compared to 57% of older men. 
• Anti-social behaviour was an extremely common experience; 86% of public transport users had experienced anti-social behaviour which made them feel less safe on their journey while using public transport in the past 12 months.
• 14% of public transport users had experienced (threats of) force, violence, harm, physical intimidation, verbal abuse or (attempted) theft, in the past 12 months.
• 28% of public transport users had experienced sexual harassment or unwanted behaviours which made them feel upset, distressed or threatened in the past 12 months, including 54% of female public transport users aged 18 to 34.
• Around a third of public transport users (35%) had witnessed theft or attempted theft, actual or threatened violence, or physical intimidation or assault against another person in the past 12 months.
• Public transport users who witnessed or personally experienced personal safety incidents or anti-social behaviour on public transport were likely to change their travel behaviour as a result.
• Across all types of negative experience, fewer than one in seven public transport users reported their most recent experience to the police, transport staff or provider.

Methodology

The research utilised a sequential mixed-mode design survey, meaning participants could take part online or by phone. The sample was drawn using a probability-based approach from the NatCen Opinion Panel. The target population was adults aged 18 and over living in Britain (GB). A total of 4,904 panel members completed the survey, achieving a response rate of 58%. Fieldwork lasted for four weeks across March and April 2025, and participants were generally asked to reflect on their experiences over the previous 12 months.