One Standard of Safety for Every Transport Worker

Violence and abuse against public transport workers must never be treated as part of the job.

That is why I recently wrote to Michael Payne MP about the need for stronger protections for frontline transport workers.

His response was constructive and welcome. He recognised that violence and abuse against public transport workers is completely unacceptable, referred to proposed mandatory training for bus workers through the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill, highlighted the role of Body Worn Video, and acknowledged the calls for a specific offence covering public transport workers.

That matters.

But the campaign cannot stop there.

Retail workers are rightly being considered for specific legal protection. Public transport workers deserve the same seriousness.

Bus drivers, rail workers, station staff, revenue staff, cleaners, catering grades, maritime workers, guards, conductors, controllers, fleet staff, depot staff and all frontline transport workers keep communities moving.

They do so while facing abuse, threats, spitting, assault, fatigue, lone working, extreme weather, pressure from schedules and, too often, inadequate welfare provision.

These are not separate issues.

They are all part of the same question:

How seriously do we value the safety, dignity and wellbeing of the people who keep transport running?

At this year’s RMT AGM, the issues debated and supported all connected to that wider theme.

Violence at work is not just an unpleasant incident. It follows workers home. It affects confidence, health and family life. My AGM speech on violence at work was based on lived experience as a bus driver who has been spat at, including during the COVID period.

The point was simple: our job is to move people safely, not to be abused, spat at or assaulted.

Fatigue is not just a bus issue or a rail issue. It is a transport-wide safety issue.

Extreme cab temperatures are not just a comfort issue. They are a foreseeable health and safety risk.

Late-night working and lone working are not just roster issues. They are personal safety issues.

Neurodiversity is not a side issue. It is about ensuring members are understood, supported and not unfairly judged because they communicate, process information or respond to pressure differently.

Toilet access and welfare facilities are not minor concerns. They are basic dignity.

Accident investigation and transparency are not abstract policy debates. They are how lessons are learned and future harm is prevented.

When you step back, this is not a collection of disconnected campaigns.

It is one campaign:

Creating a safer transport industry for workers and the travelling public.

That means every grade.

Not just the most visible grades.

Not just the grades the public immediately think of.

Not just drivers.

Not just rail.

Not just buses.

Every grade.

Cleaners working alone or late at night.

Catering staff dealing with passengers in confined environments.

Station staff facing abuse on platforms and concourses.

Revenue staff dealing with conflict.

Maritime workers working long and demanding hours.

Bus drivers alone in the cab.

Rail workers dealing with safety-critical responsibility.

Control, depot, fleet and support staff keeping services moving behind the scenes.

Every one of those workers matters.

Every one of those workers deserves protection.

And every one of those workers should know that their union sees them, values them and will fight for them.

That is why I believe we need one standard of safety across transport.

Rail, maritime and aviation have developed stronger cultures of independent investigation, transparency and learning. That should not be a source of division. It should be something we learn from and build upon.

This is not about rail versus bus.

It is not about comparing tragedies.

It is not about scoring points.

Every serious incident deserves compassion, respect and proper investigation.

But it is reasonable to ask why all transport workers and all transport passengers should not benefit from the same commitment to openness, learning and prevention.

If a transport worker is assaulted, that is not only an attack on an individual. It can create risk for passengers, services and wider public safety.

If a worker is exhausted, overheated, unsupported, unsafe or under extreme pressure, that affects everyone.

If a cleaner, caterer, driver, guard, station worker, revenue worker, controller, depot worker, fleet worker or maritime worker feels unsafe at work, that should concern the whole movement.

Safe workers mean safer transport.

That is why I welcome Michael Payne MP’s response, but also believe Parliament must go further.

Training is welcome.

Body Worn Video can help.

Better reporting matters.

Support for victims matters.

But public transport workers also need clear legal protection, proper enforcement, employer accountability and a safety culture that says violence, abuse and preventable harm are unacceptable.

The principle should be simple:

Every transport worker should be able to go to work safely, be treated with dignity while they are there, and return home safely at the end of the shift.

That is not too much to ask.

It is the foundation of a safe public transport system.

And it is the foundation of the campaign I will continue to build.

About the author

Lee Odams is a Nottingham-based bus driver and RMT member who writes in a personal capacity about public transport, worker safety, bus driver welfare, accessibility and transport accountability.

His writing is shaped by frontline experience, workplace representation and a belief that safer working conditions for transport workers help create safer public transport for everyone.

Disclaimer

Written in a personal capacity. Views expressed are my own and do not necessarily represent the policy or position of RMT or any other organisation unless explicitly stated.

Suggested labels / tags

Public Transport Safety, Transport Workers, Bus Workers, Rail Workers, Worker Safety, Violence At Work, Assaults Against Transport Workers, RMT, Trade Unions, Workplace Safety, Health and Safety, Bus Driver Safety, Transport Safety, Public Transport, Safer Transport, Worker Welfare, Lone Working, Fatigue, Neurodiversity, Welfare Facilities, Michael Payne MP, Bus Services Bill, Body Worn Video