Improving safety at Victoria bus station: A holistic and multi-disciplinary approach
Transport for London (TfL) has committed to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries from London’s transport network by 2041. The organisation also aims for no-one to be killed or seriously injured on or by a bus by 2030. While bus garages and stations do not contribute to TfL’s Vision Zero target, these are a key part of the Safe System. To support TfL’s ambition to reduce bus-involved casualties in bus stations and garages, AtkinsRéalis undertook an in-depth safety review of Victoria bus station and the surrounding area – a bustling and complex transport interchange in the centre of London.
A holistic, multi-disciplinary approach was taken – bringing together established principles from the Safe System approach and safety risk management with innovative methods and technologies, including behavioural science and vision-based artificial intelligence sensors. These techniques enabled a thorough evidence-based understanding of behaviours and potential safety issues at Victoria bus station to be obtained.
The findings informed the development of interventions to improve safety at the bus station – spanning the pillars of the safe system, as well as short-term and long-term measures. Selected interventions will be trialled at Victoria bus station during 2026 to evaluate their effectiveness at influencing behaviours and improving safety. The findings from this review will contribute to TfL’s wider Bus Safety Programme – supporting road safety improvements across London.
In this presentation, AtkinsRéalis and TfL will share insights into the factors that influence behaviours at Victoria bus station and key learnings from the research to date.
Jo Bacon, Social Research and Behavioural Science Technical Director, AtkinsRéalis
Jo Bacon is AtkinsRéalis’ discipline lead for Social Research and Behavioural Science, with over 20 years’ experience of leading social and behavioural research and evaluation projects. These projects have shaped national, regional and local transport policy, delivery, guidance and communications.
Jo has a proven track record of pioneering novel methods and approaches in transport research, thought leadership and speaking on transport behaviour and research. Jo is leading the multi-disciplinary AtkinsRéalis team that is supporting Transport for London with the in-depth safety review of Victoria bus station, drawing on her experiences across the transport sector.
Kerri Cheek, Senior Bus Safety Development Manager
Bus Operations, Transport for London
Kerri leads the bus safety strategic change programme at Transport for London. The innovative and world-leading Bus Safety Programme delivers effective and measurable safety change in London and is successfully challenging the inertia across the bus industry both in the UK and internationally.
Kerri has led the development and delivery of the multi award-winning Bus Safety Standard, London’s bus driver fatigue programme, and recently she published TfL’s Bus Safety Strategy. Kerri has been at Transport for London since 2006, and additionally, in 2023, Kerri co-founded and became a Director of a new initiative to build, unite and support women working in the bus and coach industry - Women in Bus and Coach.
In 2024, Kerri won the Bus Centre of Excellence’s ‘Bus Person of the Year’ award and sits on their Advisory Committee, having also co-founded their national network for bus safety, the Bus KSI Network.