Ruddington’s main bus operator has joined forces with two other major Nottinghamshire public transport providers to sign a ‘No To Hate’ pledge.
Nottingham City Transport, Nottingham Community Transport and Nottingham Express Transit (NET) have united in a partnership to tackle hate crime on public transport – with an official signing taking place on Friday the 3rd of February.
The organisations have previously worked in tandem on the TravelSafe initiative, focusing on safe and acceptable conduct on buses and trams. Part of this work has included visiting schools on a regular basis to discuss appropriate behaviour with pupils and, more recently, focusing on hate crime.
The operators now hope to work even more closely together to ensure anyone who experiences hate crime on their services is supported and to reiterate that this behaviour will not be tolerated. This will include continuing to provide hate crime training to transport staff and sharing information and best practice for resolutions or preventative interventions.
Attendees at signing (pictured above) included Nicola Tidy, Marketing and Communications Director at Nottingham City Transport; Paul Robinson, General Manager at NET; Steve Harrison, Specialist Projects Manager (Cohesion) at Nottingham City Council; Councillor Toby Neal, Executive Assistant for Equalities, Customer Focus, IT and Technology at Nottingham City Council; Councillor Glynn Gilfoyle, Community Safety Portfolio Holder for Nottinghamshire County Council; Nottinghamshire Police’s Chief Constable Craig Guildford and Police and Crime Commissioner, Paddy Tipping. The signing took place at NET’s tram depot at Wilkinson Street Park & Ride.
The ‘No To Hate’ pledge was originally launched in 2015 and calls for organisations to join forces and create a safer Nottinghamshire for everyone by following the main objectives of the pledge, which include:
· To tackle prejudice
· To reach out to support those who are targets of hate
· To ensure that policies and procedures deal effectively with hate crime
· To consider specific ways that organisations can promote respect for all people and make Nottinghamshire a place where people feel safe
· Training staff to be aware of hate crime issues and how to respond to victims who report incidents
Nicola Tidy, Marketing and Communications Director at Nottingham City Transport, said: “Following our successful TravelSafe partnership with NET and Nottingham Community Transport we are looking forward to expanding our partnership working. All of our drivers receive regular training, including how to handle difficult situations, and we hope to expand this to raise awareness of hate crime and how to report it to our Control Room and Nottinghamshire Police. Signing up to the ‘No To Hate’ pledge is a continuation of our commitment to ensuring public transport is a safe and pleasant way to get around the City.”
Paul Robinson, General Manager at NET, said: “The welfare of our customers and staff is our number one priority and we have always been committed to taking as strong a stance as possible on prejudice and discrimination. By signing this pledge we hope to work alongside our fellow transport providers and organisations from across Nottinghamshire to help say no to hate in all walks of life.”
Councillor Toby Neal, Executive Assistant for Equalities, Customer Focus, IT and Technology at Nottingham City Council, said: “Public transport is a vital service, and we are rightly proud of our network of trams and buses, enabling all our citizens to get to work, to access services or simply to enjoy themselves and they should be able to use transport without fear. Nottingham is full of decent people but when the minority misbehave it’s important that they get the support they need from transport staff as well as the police. I am delighted today that our tram and bus transport services are coming together, pledging ‘No to Hate’ for our citizens. The City Council is committed to all citizens having the right to be treated fairly, with dignity and respect. We want citizens to know that they can report any hate crime and the response will be prompt and effective”.
And Paddy Tipping, Nottinghamshire’s PCC, said: “Hate crime, in any form, is unacceptable. There is no excuse. People should be able to use public transport in safety and without abuse. Together we must make it clear that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated, which is why anyone who sees an incident taking place, or is a victim of such behaviour, is urged to report it immediately.”
Nottingham City Transport operates the Navy 3, Green 10 and the late night Navy N48 NightBus services to Ruddington.
