32% of women and 13% of men in the UK feel unsafe when walking home in their local area, 2018/19 research found.
The Government has acknowledged the importance of public transport in keeping people safe ― in their list of interventions for violence against women and girls, they include accurate real-time bus data.
Depending on where you live, or what time you’re out, or a number of other factors, you may end up walking home on your own and feeling unsafe.
Calling a friend or family member can make that situation easier to handle, but if that’s not possible, Edinburgh-based phone line Strut Safe may help.
What is Strut Safe and who can use it?
The organisation’s number, 0333 335 0026, leads to a volunteer-led support line that anyone in the UK can use. You don’t need to reveal any personal information or have had anything concerning happen while walking home.
They’re open from 7 pm-3 am on Fridays and Saturdays and 7 pm to 1 am on Sundays and can be accessed anywhere in the UK.
Calls should be free if you have free calls, and if not, you’ll get charged the standard 03 number rate.
Their site says that if there’s an emergency, you should call 999.
But if you want someone to stay on the line with you when you go from point A to point B, all of Strut Safe’s volunteers are trained to handle your journey.
They’re also screened and have had their backgrounds checked.
Strut Safe adds they “stand in solidarity with marginalised people and are unaligned with the police.”
Younger callers under 18 might get redirected to a more age-appropriate service, the page continues.
What if I can’t reach Strut Safe?
The site suggests some other resources you can use if their line is closed or all their volunteers are busy (you can see the list here).
You can also call 999 in case of an emergency.
Additionally, the Government has shared some existing or proposed measures to keep women and girls safe while travelling alone.
Disappointingly some of the measures previously approved by the previous government, like BT’s would-be 888 call number which was designed to protect women in the wake of Sarah Everard’s murder, were scrapped.