Police chief invites Northumberland residents to reveal bus and rail route safety concerns

Ms McGuinness has launched a transport users survey to help police identify which bus and Metro stations and which routes are a concern to passengers.

The new survey follows on from her Safer Streets survey – which invited local people to tell her about where and when they felt uncomfortable or even unsafe and transport was highlighted as an area of concern, particularly for women.

Ms McGuinness, said: “Public transport is the lifeblood of our region. It brings us all together with friends and family and gives us access to jobs, shops and all sorts of opportunities. People want transport that’s affordable, reliable and crucially, safe – feeling safe, and being safe.

“What I really want from people is the detail. Which stations and stops need some extra attention and where routes are becoming a concern.

“I appreciate all the insight we can get from doing this survey.”

A Safer Transport Northumbria reporting app, street pastors on the travel network and public awareness campaigns around unwanted behaviours and harassment are some of the measures already in place as part of the Commissioner’s long-term strategy for safer transport.

Working closely with transport operators, councils and Northumbria Police, the Commissioner says she wants to make clear her commitment to keeping transport users safe by deterring and preventing crime and educating people on unacceptable behaviours and how to report them.

People can take part in the survey at https://vru.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/pcptransportcon