One in five LGBTQ+ people we spoke to experienced hate crime in the past year while travelling on public transport in the capital
Majority of respondents change their behaviour or appearance to ‘fit in’ so they avoid abuse or harassment when travelling in the capital
Many LGBTQ+ people we spoke to have little confidence or trust in the police, so incidents on London’s public transport network often go unreported
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Our recommendations
Decision-makers, the transport industry and policing authorities should:
1. Commit to awareness campaigns to end hate crime and harassment targeting LGBTQ+ people. This should be a cross-industry effort including education on the problem and how people can help stop it.
2. Conduct regular staff training, co-designed with LGBTQ+ people and stakeholders, to ensure staff have the right skill set and knowledge to help and support people in the LGBTQ+ community when they are travelling in London.
3. Commission further research into LGBTQ+ people’s safety concerns while travelling around London, particularly around policing and how different intersectionalities face different barriers when it comes to policing bodies and reporting.
4. Implement a robust cross-industry strategy to address anti-social behaviour.
5. Work directly with LGBTQ+ organisations and people with lived experience throughout. This should be factored into all aspects of work rather than as an add on or an afterthought.
In addition, transport operators should:
6. Maintain the frequency of services and ensure they are reliable, particularly at night, to help make sure people are not stuck in unsafe or potentially dangerous situations.
7. Put infrastructure in place to improve security concerns and perceptions of safety, including improving WIFI and connectivity, lighting, and CCTV.
8. Have visible staff at stations and on services to support LGBTQ+ people before, during and after their journey.
9. Collaborate with and support trusted third-party organisations such as CATCH and Zoteria to promote their services to LGBTQ+ people who use transport.
Policing authorities should:
10. Raise awareness of trusted third-party schemes such as CATCH and Zoteria and how to use them and improve these referral pathways within the police.
11. Within the Met, commit to implementing recommendations from the Casey Review to address LGBTQ+ prejudice within their organisation.
12. Within the BTP, create and implement an action plan detailing how they will address LGBTQ+ prejudice within their organisation and build trust within the LGBTQ+ community.
