Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will issue guidance requiring any bus company operating in a local authority to provide mandatory training to all workers on gender and sexual based harassment and violence.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Everyone has the right to feel safe when travelling and we are determined to improve the safety of our transport network. The Department is working closely with the Home Office on the cross-departmental strategy to address Violence Against Women and Girls.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has conducted an equality impact assessment of (a) reductions to (i) bus services and (ii) night bus services over the last 10 years and (b) any proposals for further changes to bus services and funding.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Local Transport Authorities are responsible for complying with the Public Sector Equality Duty. The Department’s role includes enabling and encouraging LTAs to provide good bus services for everyone. An equality impact assessment of reductions to bus services and to night bus services over the last 10 years has not been undertaken by the Department.
The equalities impacts of the National Bus Strategy were assessed as part of its development.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring (a) bus, (b) taxi and (c) private hire drivers to undertake gender equality training to include training on sexual harassment on public transport.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Everyone has the right to feel safe when travelling and using public spaces and we are determined to improve the safety of our transport network. The Department is working closely with the Home Office on the cross-departmental strategy to address Violence Against Women and Girls.
Our National Bus Strategy made clear that the sector should strive for the highest safety standards, upheld by the Traffic Commissioners. The Department was clear that Bus Service Improvement Plans should also demonstrate how Local Transport Authorities and bus operators will work together to ensure that bus services are safe and perceived to be safe by all.
Taxi and private hire vehicle drivers are licensed by local licensing authorities who are responsible for determining the criteria that must be met in order for them to decide whether a person is 'fit and proper' to hold a licence, including a requirement to pay regard to the need to eliminate conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010. The Department will shortly consult on revised best practice guidance to assist licensing authorities in carrying out their licensing function.
We need to ensure that everyone who works on the transport network, particularly front-line staff, knows how to identify and respond to unacceptable behaviour. We will continue working with transport partners to ensure appropriate training is in place and that best practice is shared
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what equality impact assessment his Department has made of the end of emergency covid-19 funding in March 2022 on bus service users.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We are working with the sector and HMT on next steps and will fulfil our legal duties on equalities as part of this process, which we take seriously.
The DfT considers the distributional impacts of bus funding very carefully, and there is clear evidence that people on lower incomes are more likely to use the bus. However, as Plan B restrictions and working from home guidance are lifted, we would anticipate there will be a change to some of the financial sustainability considerations for operators and bus services.