Call for safer transport for night-time workers

Councillors have backed a campaign to make transport safer for Bristol's night-time economy workers.

The motion was based on a campaign by Unite the Union after a woman was sexually assaulted in 2021 while heading get home from a late shift.

Night time economy workers include employees in hospitals, bars, restaurants, clubs, hotels and retail distribution centres in Avonmouth.

A motion to a full Bristol City Council meeting was approved with cross-party backing by 51-6 votes, with Conservative group members "reluctantly" voting against.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a total of 116,000 working-age adults in the city - 41% - are on shift at some point between 22:00 and 06:00.

Nearly half of them are females, of which 57% say they feel unsafe using public transport and 84% feel at risk waiting for a bus after dark.

The motion commits the local authority to instruct its licensing committee to allow additional rules when considering late-opening applications from licensed premises, encouraging venues to provide free transport home for night-shift staff.

The council will also campaign for improvements to night time transport, oppose cuts to subsidised bus routes and lobby the government to increase minimum standards for cabs.

Moving the motion, Labour councillor Kaz Self said there are limited bus services for people who start or finish work after 22:00.

"Fewer than 10 night bus services operate between 1am and 4am, and they tend to be hourly," she said.

Labour councillor Sue Kollar said: "Travelling safely home should be a guaranteed option, not a game of chance."

Transport policy committee chairman Councillor Ed Plowden, representing the Green Party, said: "There are no simple solutions and we need to look at the options to encourage employers to take a wider view, but we will be supporting this motion."

Conservative councillor Richard Eddy said: "My group supports 98% of the words in this motion and the action points but we disagree with 2%, and that is key for us."

He said the wording should be tweaked because it could fall foul of strict rules over changing licensing policies and guidance without consultation.

Mr Eddy said the Conservative group also opposed the idea to bring buses under public control.

He added: "We will be reluctantly voting against this motion."

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