Our Ref: FOI-2331-2425
Thank you for your request received on 23 October 2024 asking for information about assaults on female bus drivers.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy.
Our staff work hard to serve the millions of customers who use the transport network every day and have the right to go about their work without fear or intimidation. We take workplace violence extremely seriously and know that it is underreported, so always encourage staff to report any instance of abuse whether physical or non-physical so that preventative measures can be taken, and the strongest penalties brought against offenders. We have very recently mandated body-worn cameras for all frontline customer facing roles to be used as standard kit as they are proving to reduce the risk of assaults. We also fund a team of enforcement officers who were introduced to support frontline staff and tackle workplace violence.
A specialist unit within TfL works with both the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and British Transport Police (BTP) to investigate crimes against staff. The Workplace Violence and Aggression (WVA) Team supports staff and their managers, and assists the police in the investigation of physical assault and verbal aggression against our staff, which can include public order offences and hate crime. Its purpose is to improve the quality of staff assault investigation and provide feedback to police and other criminal justice partners, as well as improve the victim care and support we provide. Please note that bus drivers are employed by the bus operators, not TfL.
We do not hold the information you require as we do not record the victim’s gender. We have provided information on work-related violence and aggression overall in response to previous FOI requests and you may find this information helpful:
https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-4618-2324
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob
Senior FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
