Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data her Department holds on trends in the level of incidents of (a) violence and (b) abuse towards public transport workers.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The British Transport Police are responsible for policing the railway in England, Scotland and Wales and they record the number of incidents of violence and abuse against rail workers. Analysis by the Department of Violence Against the Person offences shows in 2022/23 there were 5.1 violence against person offences per 1 million passenger journeys of which 1.3 were against staff, in 2024/25 this proportion of staff was 1.4.
The Department does not hold data for other modes of transport.
We are committed to ensuring that public transport is safe for passengers and staff. There is no place for abuse or violence against any worker, and we are supporting industry to develop practical interventions to keep workers safe.
We must also ensure that when staff are victims of crime they are supported through the reporting and investigation process. The Department’s analysis also showed 1 in 4 investigations are discontinued because of the victim declining or withdrawing support for a prosecution and we are undertaking further work with rail industry to understand why this is the case.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the safety of public transportation workers from (a) violence and (b) other abuse.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Violence or abuse against public transport workers is unacceptable. The Government is committed to ensuring that staff across the network not only feel safe but are safe while carrying out their duties. The Department for Transport works closely with the transport industry and, on the railways, with the British Transport Police to maintain a safe environment for both staff and passengers.
Through the Bus Services (No.2) Bill, the Government is proposing mandatory training for bus industry staff, including drivers and other frontline staff, to help them recognise and respond to crime and anti-social behaviour on the network. This training will make clear that staff should only intervene where it is safe to do so.
On the railways, the Department for Transport and British Transport Police continue to encourage operators to prioritise staff safety, including the wider adoption of Body Worn Video (BWV). A 2019 academic trial showed that BWV reduced violence against station staff wearing the devices by 47%.
It remains essential that all incidents of abuse or violence are reported to the police, so they can be properly investigated and offenders held to account.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce antisocial behaviour on public transport.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department is working across government and with partners, including the British Transport Police (BTP), the transport industry and local authorities, to ensure that everyone feels and is safe when travelling.
This includes proposals in the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill, such as staff training on how to recognise and respond to incidents of criminal and anti-social behaviour (ASB). The Bill also enables all Local Transport Authorities to introduce byelaws to tackle ASB on vehicles, as well as within and at bus-related infrastructure (for example bus stations).
On the rail network, DfT and the BTP are committed to working closely with Train Operating Companies to ensure our railways are safe, reliable, and efficient for all passengers, staff, and communities. This includes tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) that might annoy, frighten, intimidate, or otherwise upset other people.
In addition, in November 2023, the Department provided £2.5 million for five pilot schemes in England, aimed at tackling ASB on public transport, primarily by introducing Transport Safety Officers (TSOs) on the network. The pilots came to an end in March 2025, and a full evaluation of the programme is being carried out. We are also developing a guide for local authorities who are considering using similar schemes to allow them to decide whether these approaches would work on their local networks.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport (DfT) has not run recruitment or internship schemes with the sole focus of increasing the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year. However, we have offered a range of recruitment and internship schemes designed to attract and develop talent.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help improve the reliability of bus services.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government knows how important, reliable bus services are enabling people to access education, work and vital services. The Government is committed to delivering better bus services across the country, including in rural areas across England.
The Government introduced the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill will put passenger needs, reliable services and local accountability at the heart of the industry by putting the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, including in rural areas. The Bill includes a measure on socially necessary services so that local authorities and bus operators have to have regard for alternatives to changing or cancelling services.
As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the Government allocated over £1 billion to support and improve bus services in 2025/26 and keep fares affordable. This includes £712 million for local authorities that can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people. The East Midlands Combined Authority has been allocated £40.5 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, including expanding services and improving reliability.
The Government reaffirmed its commitment to investing in bus services long-term in this Spending Review. On 11 June, the Government confirmed additional funding per year from 2026/27 to maintain and improve bus services, including taking forward franchising pilots and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help improve the (a) frequency and (b) and latest timed of bus services in rural areas.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government knows how important, reliable bus services are enabling people to access education, work and vital services. The Government is committed to delivering better bus services across the country, including in rural areas across England.
The Government introduced the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill will put passenger needs, reliable services and local accountability at the heart of the industry by putting the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, including in rural areas. The Bill includes a measure on socially necessary services so that local authorities and bus operators have to have regard for alternatives to changing or cancelling services.
As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the Government allocated over £1 billion to support and improve bus services in 2025/26 and keep fares affordable. This includes £712 million for local authorities that can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people. The East Midlands Combined Authority has been allocated £40.5 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, including expanding services and improving reliability.
The Government reaffirmed its commitment to investing in bus services long-term in this Spending Review. On 11 June, the Government confirmed additional funding per year from 2026/27 to maintain and improve bus services, including taking forward franchising pilots and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of road tolls on the cost of living in areas near toll bridges.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has not carried out a formal assessment of the impact of bridge tolls on the cost of living in nearby areas. While tolls are an additional cost, users also enjoy significant benefits from the availability of such bridges, without which journeys would be substantially longer.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the safety of women and girls in taxis.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The primary purpose of the taxi and private hire vehicle licensing regime is public safety. Since coming into Government, we have been actively looking at ways to improve the existing licensing regime.
We have committed to legislate to address the issues raised in Baroness Casey’s national audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, to tackle the inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle driver licensing. We want to achieve two outcomes; the first is ensuring we have consistently high safeguarding standards and the second is that there is no unintended reduction in the availability of licensed taxi and private hire vehicle services, which could disproportionately impact women and girls and disabled people, who rely on these services the most. We are considering all options – including out-of-area working, national standards, enforcement and transferring licensing to local transport authorities - seeking the best overall outcomes for passenger safety.
We are currently reviewing licensing authorities’ compliance with existing guidance issued by the Department on actions they should take on licensing matters including safety. All licensing authorities have reported that they require the highest level of criminal background checks for taxi and private hire vehicle driver licence applicants – an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check with a check of the children’s and adults’ barred lists. Where safety recommendations from the guidance are not being followed, licensing authorities will be held to account.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what purposes their Department has used artificial intelligence in the last year.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As part of its delivery of the Transport AI Action Plan, the Department has established an internal AI programme to identify opportunities and roll out appropriate AI tools and processes to ensure the Department is delivering best value for the public. As well as ensuring access to Microsoft’s Co-Pilot tools to support everyday activities, targeted pilots are being run using AI for correspondence, consultation analysis, information retrieval and fraud detection, with plans for continuing expansion.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing mixed-mode integrated public transport ticketing across the UK.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government recognises the value of greater integration between public transport modes, including in relation to ticketing, and will continue to work with local transport authorities, operators and passengers to improve the fares and ticketing offer for passengers across England.
Programmes currently under development in England recognise the aspiration for smart, multi-modal ticketing. This includes the Department for Transport working with representatives from the bus industry, Transport for West Midlands and Midlands Connect to develop a national technology solution to facilitate multi-operator ticketing on buses and trams, focusing on contactless bank card payments and enabling fares capping outside of London. In addition, the Fares, Ticketing, and Retail Programme is delivering two new Pay As You Go schemes for the West Midlands and Greater Manchester, and expanding an existing one in the South East.
Transport is a devolved matter, and the UK government has policy responsibility for public transport ticketing in England only.