Transport for London

Short Survey on Inappropriate Behaviour

Steve NewsomeHead of International & European Affairs

Background

TfL is planning to run a campaign against unwanted sexual behaviour on public transport towards men and women.

The aim is to encourage people to report such instances and it would be useful to learn whether other EMTA members are also tackling this problem.

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Survey aims

• What are authorities doing to tackle unwanted sexual behaviour?

• Do customers understand what behaviours are being targeted?

• How is effectiveness of communication activity judged?

• What are the roles of the transport authority and the relevant

enforcement agencies?

• What reporting mechanisms are in place and which were the most

effective?

• Are customers expected to report incidents to the transport authority or

the enforcement agency?

• Key learnings

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Survey responses

EMTA member Comment

Amsterdam Tracking the issue in more general terms although sexual harassment is not expressly identified.

Barcelona Not a perceived problem.

Madrid No campaign.

Oslo Seems to be a relatively small problem. Although it hasn’t been quantified, it is estimated to be one or two incidents a year out of more than 300 million trips.

Paris Ile-de-France operators rather than STIF are the responsible bodies. RATP and SNCF run regular campaigns focussed on politeness (e.g. rudeness, bad manners etc).

Warsaw No campaign.

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Survey responses

EMTA member

Comment

Berlin In 2013 there were only 82 reports of sexual assaults on public transport, the media focus has been on violence.Nonetheless, two years ago VBB established a “discussion platform” on passenger security which has resulted in a harmonised process for information and crime reporting by the relevant agencies. Crimes are reported to the police who are the enforcement authority.The key learnings are that data must be connected and shared and that prosecutors need more information about fare dodging (no gates in the system in Berlin) which is often a linked crime.

Torino In November 2013 the City of Torino promoted a campaign asking passengers to report inappropriate behaviour to the police. The main reporting channels are a dedicated contact centre and local police officers who assist public transport company officers during routine ticket inspections. The key learnings are that the presence of local police officers creates a sense of safety, especially in certain neighbourhoods and is welcomed in particular by the elderly and young women who travel alone. In addition, a well executed campaign can help reduce the perception of poor safety on public transport which can deter new users.