Transport for London (TfL) has been instructed to develop a comprehensive action plan to end violence against women and girls (VAWG) on the capital's public transport network, amid warnings that failure to act will see female passengers stay away.
Calls for a Cohesive "Vision Zero" Strategy
Campaigners and transport experts have called on Mayor Sadiq Khan, in his role as chair of TfL, to implement a strategy mirroring the Vision Zero road safety plan. Launched in 2018, Vision Zero aims to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries on London's roads through target actions and measurable key performance indicators (KPIs).
Speaking to the London Assembly's Police and Crime Committee on Wednesday 3 December, transport consultant Susan Leadbetter criticised the current "disjointed" approach. "I would love to see something like [Vision Zero] for violence against women and girls and setting KPIs so we actually have something to measure against," she stated, emphasising the need for a unified systems approach covering culture, design, and policy.
Alarming Rise in Reported Sexual Offences
Data obtained by the London Assembly reveals a sharp increase in recorded sexual offences against women and girls across key parts of the network between 2022/23 and 2024/25.
- Elizabeth line: A staggering increase of 247.8% in 2023/24, followed by a further 17.5% rise in 2024/25.
- London Underground: Reports rose from 745 in 2022/23 to 856 in 2024/25.
- Bus network: Saw a 28.6% increase in sexual offences in 2024/25 alone.
TfL has suggested the rise is partly due to growing confidence in reporting, following its zero-tolerance campaign launched with police in October 2021. However, experts warn that incidents remain massively underreported.
Fragmented Data and Lost Trust Undermine Efforts
The committee heard that a lack of integrated data and poor handling of reports has severely damaged confidence. Tricia Hayes, chair of watchdog London TravelWatch, said TfL lacks a "single, definitive integrated set of data" on VAWG, making it hard to track progress.
"Based on the research that we did, we just found that women and girls just didn't trust the process. They didn't find that it was effective," Susan Leadbetter testified. This is supported by a City Hall report showing 84% of hate crimes experienced by LGBTQ+ passengers on transport go unreported.
A national analysis by the University of Manchester suggests only around 17% of sexual offences on transport are formally reported, indicating the true scale of the problem is far greater than official figures show.
Tricia Hayes issued a stark warning to TfL, highlighting a powerful business case for action: "It is hugely in TfL's interest, or it's not going to meet its Mayoral targets for getting people onto its network." She urged immediate work on behaviour change, clearer reporting routes, and improving the physical environment to ensure women and girls feel safe to travel.
