Women in West Yorkshire have shared that they feel unsafe travelling during the dark. Photograph: Pexels.
New data from West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) revealed 41% of women felt safe when travelling by bus during the dark, compared to 68% of men.
This is worse than last year, when 46% of women felt safe travelling by bus during the dark compared to 65% of men.
Overall, the survey found that during the day, both men and women reported a similar level of personal safety. As, 87% of respondents felt confidence in their personal safety on local buses. However, during the dark, this ratio drops to 54% for both men and women.
Mimi Ibrahim graphic. Source: West Yorkshire Combined Authority
In fact, in the previous year more women felt safe during the day than men.
With 88% of women feeling safe, compared to 87% of men in 2023.
Mimi Ibrahim graphic. Source: West Yorkshire Combined Authority
WYCA gathered this data which comprised of 1,800 responses from January to March 2024 referring to the 2023/24 year. It was published in August 2024.
Women’s safety on public transport is a topic of great concern across the country at large.
Recently, The British Transport Police reported that in the last two years, there has been a 50% increase in the number of violent attacks on women and girls on the UK rail network, from 7,651 documented instances in 2021 to 11,357 in 2023.
Responding to the data from the British Transport Police. The new Labour Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said on X:
“These figures are appalling. Everyone should be safe on public transport.”