Women’s and girls’ reported travel patterns

Most of the women interviewed used public transport on a regular basis mainly for work, study/education, medical appointments and recreation. For most, use was either daily or several times a week and only a small number of women said that they used public transport only rarely.

The young women in the sample (those aged 18 and under) were more likely to use public transport most frequently, and also to make interchanges between bus, train, tram and subway more often. Their use was also more spread throughout the week and was more likely to involve night-time travel.

Women and girls mainly used buses and trains (as these were most prevalent in the geographical areas that they lived in), although a few women reported using the Glasgow subway system and Edinburgh’s trams. Three women who lived on different islands also reported regular ferry use to travel to the mainland, with one also using internal domestic flights to get to/from the island (albeit not on a regular basis). While not specifically in scope of the research, several women discussed regularly using taxis and Ubers to facilitate their travel.

Reasons for use

Across the sample, the main reason for using public transport (as opposed to private transport) was cost - it was often the cheapest way for women to travel to work, study or social events. This was mentioned as something that had particularly changed behaviours in recent months/years, as the cost of fuel had increased and women felt that they needed to make cuts to their daily spend.

Young women and girls mentioned using public transport as a way of travelling independently (instead of needing to rely on parents/carers or others with cars). Similarly, adults living with disabilities spoke of public transport being invaluable in allowing them independence to travel freely. Several also reported that they did not have access to a private vehicle and so had no other choice but to use public transport. Whilst some women had never driven, others had forgone the car in a move into the city, or because of ill health/disability.

There was a mix in the sample between those who were private car owners and those who were not. Those who owned a car but chose to make some journeys by public transport usually did so because of a lack of parking at their destinations, and not being able to drink and drive when making recreational trips. Others used their car for convenience, especially at times when there was a reduced frequency of public transport. Only a few participants mentioned using public transport because it was more environmentally friendly.

Safety and time of travel

Unanimously, women reported feeling less safe when travelling at night/after dark, and this was mainly because public transport was either quieter at these times (with no other passengers to make women feel safe) or was too busy, with other passengers often under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Women reported feeling far more anxious with a need to be more aware of their surroundings in the dark:

I think it’s just the timing that makes me feel unsafe. Like in the daytime, I feel fine. If it’s night-time or evening time, that matters. I know the crowds will be different. I know it will be night and I won’t be able to see properly…It’s generally night-time you feel insecure.”

Travelling in the dark/at night impacted on the mode of transport some women would prefer to use for their journeys. Some indicated that they would feel safer on a train at night compared to the bus (mainly due to ticket inspectors being visible and accessible on board), however, others preferred the bus over the train when dark (because it felt less isolated):

There’s always wee kind of incidents on the bus too but I would rather get the bus than the train I think if I had to… You can physically see him [the driver] and everybody can see inside the bus. If there’s people there, there’s people immediately there to help you rather than being in another carriage and you’re stuck in a situation.”

Many women mentioned that they simply would not travel alone by bus or train ‘at night’, with many preferring to use a taxi instead. Thresholds for using a taxi instead of public transport were cited by many - usually 9pm, 10pm or 11pm. Some of the younger women who took part simply said that ‘darkness’ regardless of time made them feel unsafe.

Several respondents, including one transport worker, suggested that the day of the week also made a difference in how safe they perceived public transport to be. It was felt that weekdays were generally safer, but that Fridays and weekends were less safe - largely linked to the potential for intoxicated passengers and anti-social behaviour that may be encountered.

Safety concerns were also highlighted after events such as football matches or concerts in city areas. Again, the large volume of people attempting to access public transport at the same time, and again, often under the influence of alcohol or drugs, was cited as driving these concerns. As one transport worker explained:

…there’s so much more potential then for incidents at a football match with the crowds of people, the abuse you get. The last time I did it… there was a massive fight on the platform and it was the last train, the people nearly fell on the tracks, my colleague was injured... So that has also put me right off, it makes me very anxious thinking about any sort of event and having to work that shift.”

Despite night time travel being seen as far less safe than daytime travel, several respondents also commented that incidents could occur at any time of the day (and several daytime incidents were reported across the sample). Two transport workers strongly expressed that ‘time of travel’ was not always a predictor of likely risk:

There’s no set time for trouble on the railway. Absolutely not at all…I would say every single shift I have, something happens.”

Safety and mode of travel

There were mixed views in relation to the relative safety of different modes. Several respondents preferred to use the train rather than the bus as they perceived this to be safer - it was seen as more direct, quicker and less likely to be frequented by people making short/unnecessary journeys - several commented that trains were often frequented by more ‘professional’ people. Conversely, other respondents felt safer on the bus compared to trains, typically because the bus used a busy road where others could see in the windows and it would be easier to leave and get help quickly if necessary, (while trains usually took more obscure routes with fewer regular stops). Some felt that trains were safer because the ticket inspectors were on hand, while several women felt that buses were safer as the driver was more visible and accessible (although this was not supported by all, as discussed more below):

It’s scary when it’s [the train is] really full and when there’s no one there that you know in case anything goes wrong cos you can’t see anyone to come and help. If anything was to happen on a bus, you can inform the bus driver.”

One female passenger who regularly used the underground reported that they felt safer using that mode compared to buses or trains and this was based on previous bad experiences of the latter.

In contrast, one woman who regularly accompanied disabled adults on their journeys explained that the underground made her and her clients feel unsafe, mainly because the platforms were busy, and the trains moved so fast, and they feared being knocked onto the tracks in front of oncoming trains.

Regular ferry users reported that they rarely (if ever) felt unsafe on ferries or at ferry terminals (even if travelling at night), and this was because both were always well staffed, well lit and there was also always plenty of room to move around on ferries to get away from any groups or individuals who might make women feel uncomfortable (i.e. lots of ‘safe spaces’).

Similarly, one respondent who had experience of internal domestic flights to reach the Scottish islands indicated that they felt safe in the airports due to them being busy, and having safety and security features, and that they felt safe on the aircraft as they would most likely know someone on board given the small community nature of their island home. This same respondent also noted that they typically felt safe also using the ferry to get to/from their island home, until recently when there had been a few thefts onboard. They noted this did not leave them with personal safety fears, but did make them wary about the safety of their personal possessions.

Another feature of journeys that might make women feel unsafe was how well kept the vehicles were, e.g. if buses have smashed windows, graffiti, torn seats, etc. women inferred that it was likely to be a ‘bad route’. Similarly, a small number of women spoke about areas around bus stops and train stations needing to be “clean and tidy” to offer reassurance, with some assumptions that unclean or neglected stations were likely to be less safe.

Safety and routes

On the whole, women equated travel in suburban and some rural areas as being safer than travelling in built up or urban areas. Journeys made in and out of both Glasgow and Edinburgh city centres were described as particularly “hairy” (or scary) late at night and especially at weekends when a large proportion of fellow passengers had been drinking alcohol or were intoxicated. Urban and city areas were also seen to have higher levels of crime per se with perceptions that there would be more risk of encountering violence and petty theft, especially late at night.

Women who lived in more rural and remote areas (including the islands) also commented that low levels of crime and anti-social behaviour within these areas per se made them view public transport as being safe. This even extended to ferries and, indeed, one island resident joked that she felt so safe in her local community that she often slept on the ferry when travelling by sea - in contrast to the state of high alert and vigilance that she reported when she had made train journeys to the west coast mainland.

Several transport workers mentioned that there were known “bad routes” (including routes from Glasgow to Ayrshire, Glasgow to the Southside and Glasgow to the East End). One woman who previously lived in Aberdeen explained that routes to or through areas of high deprivation also made her feel unsafe, based on previous experience.

Similarly, another respondent from an ethnic minority background indicated that she knew women from deprived areas of Glasgow who would not attend evening events as they felt too unsafe travelling home afterwards. While she indicated that they perhaps felt safe on the bus journey, they were concerned about their safety walking from the bus stop to their homes at night in certain areas.

Bus and rail routes that were mentioned as feeling safer included those from the city centre into the suburbs (including more rural areas in the north of Glasgow). In contrast, however, one respondent spoke of these bus routes as being “quite scary”, as there were no regular pick up/drop off points and so the stretch of the journey between the city centre and the first suburban stop could be quite long (and feel too long if you were in an uncomfortable situation).

Safety and familiarity

Many women spoke of feeling safer on journeys that were familiar or known to them. Similarly, women who lived in rural or suburban areas spoke of feeling “instantly unsettled” when travelling to larger cities and where the surroundings and fellow passengers were unknown to them, due to being anxious about getting lost as well as being harassed:

Not knowing where you’re going. That can always be very kind of discombobulating. Because not only are you trying to figure out where you’re going but you then have to also make sure that you’re keeping an eye out on everything around you as well.”

For those living in both urban and rural areas this familiarity also often entailed being familiar with the drivers/staff operating public transport (including bus drivers or ferry workers on the islands) - having familiar faces that women knew and trusted, and that were part of the communities in which they lived offered greater reassurance. As one young woman who lived on an island explained: “…most people know everyone and everyone knows the people that are slightly dodgy.”

While familiarity featured in conversations with many participants it was more of a feature of conversations with young women who were perhaps in the early days of expanding their social and travel parameters. One young woman from an ethnic minority who travelled frequently around Paisley mentioned that knowing the drivers on the routes that she used gave great comfort:

I would feel safe cos I know a lot of drivers cos it’s the same drivers for the same routes, so I know a lot of them.”

Another young woman under 18 also mentioned familiarity in the context of knowing the other passengers on other routes she was taking:

With the buses, I’m usually going to places where I know most people on the bus as well cos I get it at the school, I know them and on the way back it’s empty just about. Where with trains, they’re quite crowded cos they’re going to places like Glasgow which can be a bit scary if there’s no one else you know there.”

Another respondent, in the context of using taxis late at night, noted that they felt they would be happy to use a taxi in the area they live as they would be familiar with the routes that should be taken, however, they would be less keen and feel less safe taking a taxi in an unfamiliar area as they would be unable to identify quickly if the driver was deviating from the desired route, i.e. “I don’t think I have the same degree of anxiousness where I live but certainly, anywhere else, I would not prefer to take a taxi.”

Overall, while many women did not explicitly report constraining their travel behaviours due to feeling unsafe, conversations around familiarity and the comfort that this offered gave insight into how women may be unwittingly limiting their travel as a means of avoiding feelings of discomfort brought about by being somewhere (or with someone) unknown.

Safety and service frequency

Several women noted that the frequency of services, and how reliable they were impacted on both their perceptions of safety and their travel behaviours. The more frequent a service was, the less time women would have to wait at stations and bus stops. Women tended to feel less safe if they were likely to have to wait a long time for a service, particularly at night. This was heightened by the fear that the service would be delayed or cancelled altogether, with women not knowing whether it would then be better/safer for them to start walking (either to another stop/station or for a taxi) or to stay where they were and continue to wait.

Several women (especially younger women) spoke specifically about Apps which allowed them to track the progress of buses as making them feel safer, i.e. knowing that the bus would arrive soon and that the wait at the bus stop would be short. However, several also mentioned the shortcomings of Apps, particularly those which displayed inaccurate bus arrival/departure/journey progress.

Despite some lack of reliability, Real Time Information (RTI) at stations and stops (and on-board services) were considered important to ensure travellers had accurate and up-to-date information in order to inform their decisions:

I did and do feel more at risk standing at a bus stop waiting for a bus than what I do being on the bus itself… It [RTI] stops the fear from maybe escalating a wee bit because you can see whether you have time to either take yourself somewhere where you feel more safe until closer to the time that the bus comes. Or you know you’ve not got long if somebody does strike up a conversation with you before you’re going to be out of the situation and they’re hopefully not getting on the same bus as you.”

Several women spoke of ‘lack of frequency’ or ‘unreliability’ of public transport as something which may make them unwilling to rely on buses (in particular) as well as trains and taxis as a reliable or ‘safe’ way to travel, i.e. “I think if you go for a bus and it doesn’t turn up and then that makes you feel unsafe about going in the first place.” Overall, women expressed that if they had greater confidence that their journeys would progress as planned, it would put them more at ease.

Safety and access to technology

Several young women, in particular, spoke of feeling vulnerable if they did not have access to technology, and specifically to their smart phones when travelling. This included not having a phone signal (for example, on the subway) and feeling unable to communicate with someone remotely if needed.

Young women spoke of choosing seats on vehicles that were next to charging points to make sure that their devices were always fully charged. They also spoke of sharing their personal movement data with friends to allow them to monitor one another’s movements and to help them keep safe.

While some respondents liked apps like the My Uber app which allowed a person’s location to be shared and friends and family to track a journey (discussed more below) one transport worker was more sceptical of apps. They felt they did not make a tangible difference and would be too slow to provide any support or assistance:

If it’s something that you’re texting to Transport Police, if they pick it up quickly, they will phone you, if they think it’s serious enough, they’ll phone you. But in most cases, I would just dial 999 - I wouldn’t trust Transport Police to come. So, I just don’t feel apps and all that, I just don’t think they work. I think it’s something that they’ve put in place for like a tick box for them to say, “We’ve tried this, we’re doing this, we’re running this”, but it’s not actually practical.”

Overall, younger women and girls were perhaps more technology aware, and were more likely to make use of the various safety-based apps that were available. This was generally supported across the interviews, with younger women indeed indicating they used apps and their phones much more than older respondents to support travel and to provide a sense of pro-actively addressing their own safety.

Boarding, alighting and interchanging

While young people often had to make changes between buses, trains, trams and subways as part of their journeys, very few older women reported making journeys that required them to make single or multiple changes between modes - the most frequently mentioned interchange was from trains to taxis, for example, to complete the final part of a journey home at night, instead of walking from the alighting station.

Women’s main concern when waiting at bus stops and at stations was that they must be well lit. Specifically at stations, women spoke of wanting to feel that there were staff around who could be contacted if anything worried them:

Train stations all are dark and very scary places to get out of, yeah. And I always check if there is any cameras. I walk and look to the cameras, if I see the cameras I feel [better], but I have always to run and get to the main road… It’s not just myself. I think every other woman, they have the same fear, train station is a bit isolated.”

At bus stops, one woman observed that they would always hang back and allow other ‘suspicious’ looking passengers to get on first, to help determine where she would then sit herself. The same woman explained that she had also extended her journeys on occasion by waiting for later buses if she and her companions were uncomfortable with who else was boarding at the same time.

Some women also suggested there were particular stops and stations that they would avoid, opting instead to walk further either to board or when alighting services:

I know that bus stations and certain bus stops seem to be a bit of a hotspot for like loiterers, I shall say. So, I tend to avoid, if possible, going as far as into a bus station.”

While bus shelters that were enclosed (including glass shelters) were seen as good for comfort and weather protection, some women spoke of feeling “too enclosed” when sitting inside a shelter with a stranger, and so preferred to stand outside where they were less “trapped”.

One woman described a bus stop which was outside a pub. They avoided using this stop, particularly in the evenings and at weekends due to the fear of encountering drunk and intoxicated people. The respondent preferred to walk to/from a stop further away in order to avoid this situation.

Smaller, rural stations were described as “scary” if they were unstaffed or had no other passengers around. Busy city centre stations (e.g. Glasgow Central and Glasgow Queen Street) were described as being safe inside, the main concern being the areas immediately outside:

The town is a scary place at night time…I try and avoid being in the city centre at night outside of the station because it seems to be outside of the station is the hotspot for trouble. Whereas if I’ve got an Uber, I know that I can wait inside the door and then just run out and jump into that when it’s outside.”

A female transport worker explained that walking between Glasgow Central and Queen Street stations was a daunting experience, especially in the evenings and late at night:

I’ve seen people being dragged into fights on Union Street, I’ve seen myself being heckled by men out on Union Street, I’ve seen a lot of illegal things going on, which makes me really uncomfortable. I’ve heard of colleagues being assaulted outside of the station. It’s a combination of all of it, to be honest. Like it’s just very, very unsafe out there just now.”

Indeed, the walk that women need to undertake to either reach a public transport link or to complete their journey also played a part in many people’s decisions about which mode of transport to use:

I think it would really depend because my train station is a further away walk than my bus stop, which also does come into that, even though I feel safer on the train, walking back is about 5 minutes longer…so if I was getting the bus from town in a busy area maybe, it wouldn’t be as bad, like from George Square or Buchanan Street because there’s people around and it’s well-lit. But then I think if I was getting it from a quieter place, I wouldn’t like to wait at the bus stop by myself.”

One also noted that they might take a taxi to get home from a public transport station/stop in order to avoid having to walk at night:

There’s times where in order to avoid the walk home from getting off the train, I would spend more money in order to get home like for example a taxi or the bus if it means that I’m not having to walk through streets where pubs are, through a particular area that I maybe feel a wee bit uncomfortable in.”

One ethnic minority respondent noted that, for those with no other choice than to use public transport, the walk to/from the stop/station did stop some women from going out and attending events at night:

So the ladies who live in [more deprived areas], they have the fear to come, they said, “We can’t, we live far from the town and we can’t go back late at night”…nothing’s happened to me personally, but [women] have the fear to walk at night from the public transport to their home.”

Female bus workers also expressed views that points of interchange could present them with safety concerns which could also impact on whether or not they would take a break during their shifts:

“Bus terminal points can be quite dark, they can be out in the middle of nowhere. So, if you have one person just standing there or maybe someone that’s missed the stop and is still on your bus…you’ve got five minutes to stretch your legs, just breathe, have a cigarette. And if there’s someone on your bus, you can’t. You don’t feel safe doing it. It doesn’t matter who it is …you’re always looking over your shoulder. So, you’d rather just stay in your cab, keep the door locked and just wait.”

Travelling alone or with others

Women often reported travelling with friends rather than alone, and of consciously making an effort to travel with friends if out late at night as being with others made them feel much less at risk - “nowhere near as on edge”. Travelling in a group provided a distraction from any surrounding trouble and was also seen as possibly making people less of a target for unwanted attention. Travelling with others made women of all ages feel safer and was not something that was isolated to only the younger participants.

Women of various ages also specifically spoke of feeling safer travelling with males, including their male partners or, for young women, their fathers. Women commented that they would often not think twice about their safety if travelling with a man, as they assumed that this would act as a natural deterrent to other men approaching them:

I do definitely think that when I’m with my boyfriend, it is a bit like easier. I’m not sure but I feel like - I don’t know - it’s less likely anything bad will happen if I’m with him rather than if I’m with my friends…I think it’s what you know, or what you hear, you just assume that it would be safer if you’re with a male.”

One older woman, who always travelled with her husband due to her disability, indicated that travelling with a companion made her feel “protected”.

One young woman (under 18) spoke about different ‘levels’ of feeling safe depending on who she was travelling with, with female friends offering some support, whereas male companions provided an even greater level of comfort. Other women used language to indicate that they perceived there was “safety in numbers” and that travelling in groups would make them appear less of a target, and also more resilient or robust in the face of any unwanted attention.

Where women did travel alone, they often mentioned using specific strategies to reduce their visibility to others, including sitting away from others and looking out of the window to avoid eye contact, and trying to stay quiet i.e. “I just stay quiet, blend in, try not to make any noises and not be seen.” Others spoke of trying to reduce any instances of social contact with strangers:

I definitely take precautions, like I’m probably quite choosy about where I’ll sit. I usually sit at a two-seater with my bag beside me instead of sitting at a four-seat area where somebody could come and sit in front of me and try and speak to me or something like that. And as I said before, I pretty much always have my headphones on and my head in my phone just trying not to make eye contact with people.”

The main context in which women spoke of needing to travel alone either early in the morning or late at night was among transport workers employed on ‘late shifts’ for whom the journey to/from work was often necessarily made alone and made them feel unsafe. One such worker noted that they would use the train for backshifts on quiet days (typically Monday-Wednesday) but now refused to use it on busy nights.

‘Being’ alone and ‘feeling’ alone

Importantly, there was a clear underlying message in discussions about the difference between ‘being’ alone and ‘feeling’ alone. Many women recognised that it was inevitable to have to travel alone sometimes, but that they could still feel not alone as long as they were surrounded by others (including strangers) who they felt would be prepared to look out for them or help if needed:

Glasgow’s really, really busy but there’s also a lot of staff in Glasgow [Central station]. So even though I’m hesitant because it’s so busy, I tend to feel quite safe. I don’t feel like anything’s going to happen and, if it did, there would definitely be people there that would help me. Whereas Paisley [station], there’s next to no staff in Paisley. It’s almost always empty, at least the times I’m there. Even the people at the ticket booths, they’re usually away…I think the busy-ness combined with the no staff doesn’t help.”

While women noted that being around a lot of strangers could be daunting, they similarly felt unsafe if they were in areas with no other members of the public around (especially travelling to and from points of interchange):

…as much as it can be kind of nerve wracking to be surrounded by a lot of people, it can also be nerve wracking to not be surrounded by anyone…if you are going to a destination...and there’s not a lot of people around…that may also be a little nerve wracking as well.”

Women spoke of wanting to feel that they weren’t alone and that someone would help if needed, although (as discussed more below) this was not something that they currently had confidence in:

…just that people aren’t alone, that they are all aware of these situations. They maybe are all watching as opposed to like sitting with their head in a book.”

Again, for young women, access to a phone to be able to speak with friends or family while travelling, or to be able to access help by phone/text was something that provided comfort and gave a sense of not being alone (even if the contact was remote). If travelling in places where there was poor internet access, or no access to a charge point for their phone etc. this heightened the sense of feeling alone.