Addison Lee is working with UN Women UK to train private hire and taxi drivers across London on creating safe spaces for women in everyday travel.

Addison Lee and UN Women UK will co-design a safety training programme for private hire vehicle (PHV) and taxi drivers, along with Addison Lee’s employees

The private hire giant will now become UN Women UK’s transport partner under the Safe Spaces Now campaign and the two organisations will co-design a safety training programme for private hire vehicle (PHV) and taxi drivers, along with Addison Lee’s employees.

The partnership will complement UN Women UK’s existing work to create safe spaces for women in places such as night clubs as UN data reveals serious concerns around women’s safety. Over 70% of women in the UK say they have experienced sexual harassment in public. Only 4% of the women asked reported the incidents of harassment to an official organisation – with 45% of women saying they didn’t believe reporting would help change anything.

Addison Lee’s programme will include co-designed safety guidance for PHV and taxi drivers and Addison Lee employees, so they know what to do if they are concerned about an individual’s safety or an incident is reported to them.

All Addison Lee drivers will start the training early next year but the firm is also looking to make this a sector-wide initiative and is inviting all PHV and taxi drivers in London to also take part.

CEO Liam Griffin said: “Our partnership with UN Women UK will provide our drivers and colleagues with better awareness of women’s safety and how to act if they see a situation where someone appears to be in a vulnerable position. The training that we will deliver through this partnership will empower our drivers to report any concerns they have with a woman’s safety and also educate them on what makes their vehicle a safe space for someone who may feel unsafe or vulnerable.”

Addison Lee will also support the Safe Spaces Now campaign with dedicated fundraising focused on events during the year. It’s embarked on 16 days of awareness, running from 25 November, the International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women, to 10 December, which is Human Rights Day. Passengers will be able to donate to a number of initiatives, such as the Safe Spaces Festivals and staff training, run by the UN Women UK committee. All donations will be match-funded by Addison Lee.

Claire Barnett, executive director of UN Women UK, added: “It is exciting to see Addison Lee leading the sector in committing to implementing this programme throughout their driver community and organisation, as well as mobilising the public. We hope their commitments to Safe Spaces Now will inspire others to take bold steps forward in making our public spaces safer.”