Northants bus operator spearheads training to prevent violence against women and girls

A major Northamptonshire bus operator is one of just six operating-companies nationally that has begun to introduce new training to make local buses even safer, by helping Bus Drivers prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG).

In September, last year, the National Centre for Social Research highlighted how safe buses are for passengers – with fewer than 1% of passengers having experienced key types of abuse, and only 1% of those chose to report the incident to the Police.

However, Stagecoach Midlands is intent on driving these figures down even further, so its CPC Training Team is currently being taught how to deliver the crucial course to drivers. Each year, all drivers, with more than two years’ experience, must have extra training as part of their Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC).

This means, that, initially over the next 12 months and then continuously, all these Bus Drivers will receive a full day’s training on recognising and how to react to the reality of VAWG. This training will be delivered by Stagecoach Midlands’ CPC Trainers. Drivers with less than two years’ experience will also be given local training. This is in addition to the operator’s existing safeguarding procedures, such as several CCTV cameras being on each bus.

Mark Whitelocks, Managing Director of Stagecoach Midlands, said: “Tackling violence against women and girls is something that we all need to take responsibility for, and we are working very hard to play our part in this.

“Travelling by bus is safe, but we want to make sure we are doing everything we can to make it even safer; one incident is one too many.  We have no silver bullet, and we cannot solve every problem, but we have the desire and the determination to play our part.  Over time our drivers will become ever more confident with what we are asking of them. Because our buses are very visible, we hope this training, along with the CCTV cameras on every bus, will deter would-be abusers and keep buses a safe place for everyone.”

To find out more about local bus routes and services, to buy before you board, and to track your local bus, download the Stagecoach Bus App from https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/national/stagecoachbusapp.