Project helps disabled young adults in North Tyneside feel safer on public transport

With support from the Commissioner’s Community Fund, North Tyneside Disability Forum (NTDF) has developed a programme focused on independent travel skills and helping people understand where to turn if they ever feel unsafe, worried or uncomfortable while travelling.

National research shows that 54% of disabled people often or always feel anxious when using public transport.

NTDF members have also shared their own experiences of anti-social behaviour, with some young people describing how they have felt targeted, taunted or excluded while travelling.

Wanting to better understand these experiences and help address some of the barriers people face, NTDF secured funding from Northumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner’s Fund to devise a new project.

The work is about bringing together young people, transport providers, police and partners to help improve confidence, raise awareness of support available and increase understanding of hate-related crime and the impact of anti-social behaviour.

The project is expected to engage with more than 30 disabled people over the course of 26 weeks.

So far, activities have included focus groups exploring feelings of safety on public transport, the creation of a participant-led video sharing experiences and advice, and a series of learning visits.

These visits have given young people the opportunity to explore transport hubs, meet staff, learn about safety features such as help points and emergency assistance buttons, and gain hands-on experience travelling independently.

Alongside this, the organisation is working with local community police and schools to promote greater understanding of disability, challenge negative behaviours and encourage more respectful and inclusive environments for everyone.

Police and Crime Commissioner Susan Dungworth said: "North Tyneside Disability Forum is a fantastic organisation and we are proud to support the work they do.

"Everyone should feel confident and safe when using public transport, but we know this is not always the reality, particularly for disabled people and other groups who may face additional barriers or feel more vulnerable.

"Through the Safer Transport Northumbria Partnership, we are working closely with partners to make our transport network more accessible, inclusive and responsive to people's concerns. Listening to people's experiences is a really important part of that.

"This project has provided valuable insight into the challenges some people face, while also giving young people practical skills, knowledge and confidence.

"I’m grateful to everyone who has shared experiences and is working to help improve people’s feelings of safety across the transport network in our area.”

North Tyneside Disability Forum said: “Our project is working to repair the harm and help build confidence following bad experiences especially travelling on the metros where we have many instances of our young adults being targeted and taunted by other young people.”

Erika Allen, Quality Health Safety Security and Environment (QHSSE) Director at Nexus, said: “This is a really worthwhile project, and it is one that we fully support.

“Running an accessible and inclusive public transport network is the cornerstone of what we do. Safety is our top priority. We want people from all walks of life to have the confidence to travel on the services that we deliver. Hate crime has no place in our society.”