Research on violence on public tranposrt

As part of my research for my pitch idea I wanted to take a look at some stats about public transport that I could possibly include in my pitch to back up my idea.

Stats-

More than half of women in London are ‘victims of sexual harassment on Tube, trains and buses’

It recorded 285 sex offences on the Underground and 161 on buses between July and September last year.

Taxis and Tubes-

Some risks you could encounter when hailing a ride:

• Lack of real-time tracking: Unlike Uber and Lyft, some taxis may not have a real-time GPS tracking system available to passengers and drivers. You are then unable to share the trajectory of your ride with others.

• Dangers with pick-up: There is no guarantee your taxi driver will pick you up quickly or in a safe spot. With ridesharing services, you can designate a pickup spot in advance and monitor your driver’s approach. With taxis, you might have to wait somewhere unsafe and cannot track drivers.

• No driver profiles: When getting a taxi, you cannot see who your driver will be until they pick you up. You are unable to see reviews or ratings left by other riders or to opt-out of a ride if something about your driver makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe.

• Risk of violence: Because you cannot see your driver or learn of other riders’ experiences with them, you could put yourself at risk of violence from your taxi driver.

Disadvantages of Uber

• Varying background checks: Uber and Lyft have less stringent background checks and often defer to the state or local laws when checking out potential drivers. This results in background checks of various quality and thoroughness. It is also an imperfect system that has allowed drivers with violent criminal histories to get hired.

• Fewer maintenance checks: Though vehicles must be newer, they are not required to get checked or serviced as frequently as taxis are. The vehicle’s maintenance falls squarely on the shoulders of the driver. While some drivers may take maintenance seriously, others might not — which can result in dangerous situations on the road.

• Less accountability: Uber and Lyft drivers are independent contractors. They are not held to the same standards as traditional employees. Ridesharing companies themselves do not enforce rules or monitor their employees as closely as taxi companies.

• Newer industry: Compared to taxis, ridesharing is a new industry. Leaders at Uber and Lyft have had to take the time to determine what their weaknesses are and how to improve rider safety while their services exploded in popularity. There are likely additional improvements they could make to ensure the safety of their customers and employees.
• Cancelations
• Safety: Many people have safety concerns and still hesitate to use the service. Simply, they are not willing to try Uber out. It is because some users had bad experiences in the past. The company is trying its best to carefully select the drivers, but there might be someone who can cause trouble.
• Scams by drivers: It is not always all bright and sunny. Some customers reported that they have been scammed by the drivers who decided to choose a longer route for the ride, and as a result, people had to pay a lot more than they should. But, we can’t say this is the disadvantage of Uber only. Unfortunately, this goes for a taxi as well. Taxi drivers often do the same, especially when they notice a person is new in the city and isn’t sure which route is better.

Why did I look at this?

I know myself that getting public transport alone is very scary so I want to use the stats above within my pitch to support the idea of driving yourself around is much safer and reduces the anxiety and stress around public transport. Therefore I will choose some of the info above and include it in my pitch.