Making the night safer for women and children in Madrid Region

This is the aim behind the increasingly prominent ‘bus stop on demand’ novelty service

On 13 August, Arganda del Rey, a municipality in the southern periphery of Madrid, joined the ‘Parada a demanda’ (Bus stop on demand) service programme. This service has already been available on night buses in other localities of the region of Madrid since last year.

The beneficiaries of this service are women and minors, who now have the option to request from the driver of the bus to make an unscheduled stop along the route. The idea is to increase security for these more vulnerable groups during the night.

Public transport that cares

Some rules apply for this service, however. When a passenger requests a stop this should always happen at the preceding scheduled stop by letting the driver know in person. This is important so the driver can choose the most adequate point to make such a stop since stops cannot be made in places that potentially generate risky situations for the traffic.

For example, spots where visibility is impeded or spaces where this would be prohibited by regulation. The person who has requested the additional stop must stand at the front of the bus and then get off the bus through the front door.

The Madrid region transit network includes 40 night lines of intercity buses, which connect 61 municipalities. This is a network that covers all localities with more than 10,000 inhabitants in the region and that currently moves an average of 5,800 commuters every day.

“On-demand stops contribute to improving the safety of women and minors by reducing their journey home from a public transport point. As we say in the campaign with which we want to publicize this initiative, we want the next stop to be your home and you can get there with peace of mind and safety,” stated the regional Minister of Transport, Mobility and Infrastructure, Ángel Garrido.