Most UK commuters feel safe according to newly released statistics on the perceptions and experiences of antisocial behaviour and crime on public transport compiled by the UK Department of Transport.
The percentage of respondents who said that they would feel safe travelling on public transport is 84%, although more people were concerned about travelling after dark than during the day.
Only a small proportion said they did not make more use of public transport because of safety concerns, 3% taking this view using buses and 2% using trains.
The most common reason for feeling unsafe on buses and trains was antisocial behaviour by young people. 32% of respondents were concerned about this on buses and 20% were concerned about this on trains.
The amount of people that said they had been a victim of one or more incidents of antisocial behaviour or crime while on public transport in the preceding year is at 22% while 76% had witnessed antisocial behaviour.
Antisocial experiences most often include intimidation, insults or disruptive behaviour or environmental antisocial behaviour, such as vandalism and littering.
Less than 5% of people surveyed said they had been the victim of a theft or a violent or sexual incident.
Public transport users who travelled regularly and after 9pm were more likely to have experienced or witnessed antisocial behaviour or crime, as were younger, non-white and London respondents.
Respondents were also asked what measures they would like to see implemented. These include a policy of refusing to let drunk or rowdy people travel, the presence of staff other than the driver, and more widespread use of CCTV.
The statistics were compiled by the National Centre for Social Research Omnibus, which surveyed a representative sample of around 3,100 adults in May 2008.
By Daniel Garrun
