Personal safety incidents: research with transport staff

This study explores passengers’ unsafe experiences on public transport and why they choose to report or not report them.

What is the research about? 

Personal safety on public transport is a growing concern, particularly in relation to violence against women and girls (VAWG) and anti-social behaviour (ASB).

This study is being carried out to explore passengers’ experiences of incidents or behaviours which make them feel unsafe on public transport, with a focus on why choose to report or not report these experiences.  As part of this, we are speaking with frontline (bus, train and underground) transport staff to understand staff experience of handling reports and views on the reporting system.  

Who is carrying out the research? 

The Department for Transport (DfT has commissioned the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), an independent research organisation, to carry out this research. NatCen is the UK’s largest independent social research agency. For 50 years, we have been working with charities and government to find out what people really think about the big issues. NatCen is independent of all government departments and political parties. 

How do I register my interest? 

If you’d like to take part, please register your interest by completing a short survey (around 2 minutes) via the link. It includes a few basic demographic questions and some questions about your experience of personal safety incidents 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 include everyone who registers their interest in taking part. 

Why take part? 

By taking part, you will join other research participants in sharing your views on safety on public transport, the current reporting system and how it can be improved, informing DfT’s future policy-making. As a thank you for taking part, you will receive a £40 shopping voucher that you can spend in many high street shops. 

What will it involve?

You may be invited to take part in a one-to-one discussion with a NatCen researcher. The discussion will last up to 30 minutes and will take place in May 2026. It will take place by telephone or online video call at a time chosen by you. 

The discussion will focus on: 

  • Your experiences of handling passengers’ reports of personal safety incidents 
  • Your views of reporting channels, what works and what could be improved
  • If you are comfortable sharing, your own experiences of safety as a transport staff member, if you are comfortable sharing

There are no right or wrong answers, and you do not need to prepare anything in advance, we just want to hear about your views and experiences.  

Some participants may find these topics distressing. You do not have to share anything you don’t feel comfortable with, and you can take a break from or leave the discussion at any point. 

With your consent, we will audio record the discussion. Recordings will be stored securely and deleted at the end of the project. For further information on how we will use your data, please see privacy notice.

Do I have to take part? 

Taking part is completely voluntary. If you agree to take part, you can withdraw from the discussion at any time, and you do not have to give a reason. You may also choose not to answer any of the questions you do not wish to discuss. After taking part, you can withdraw any time up until analysis of the data (wc 13th July 2026). 

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 will happen to the information I give? 

Everything you say as part of the discussion will remain anonymous in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). This means we will not tell anyone that you have taken part in the study or what you specifically have said. 

The only exception is if you talk about something which we believe puts you or another person at significant risk of harm. In that case, we will have to seek advice from senior colleagues at our workplace who are specially trained. They will decide on the next steps, which could include contacting the relevant authorities or taking no action. We will always try to discuss this with you first.  

With your permission, we will audio-record the discussion so that nothing you say is forgotten. The recording will be stored securely and will be destroyed 6 months after the research is complete. We will use the information from the discussion to write a report for DfT. It will not be possible to identify any individuals in the report. 

For more information on how your data will be used, visit the privacy notice.

Contact us

You can also contact NatCen’s research team to ask any questions about the study. Please contact us on Transportsafety@natcen.ac.uk or call us for free on 0808 168 1356.