Liverpool Street Station taxi marshals offer independent scheme to improve women’s safety
- Perry Richardson
- Jul 22
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 29
A group of 12 licensed taxi drivers have been operating as taxi marshals at Liverpool Street Station since November 2023, in a bid to improve safety for women travelling through the City of London.
The initiative runs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights for four hours each evening.
According to one of the cabbies involved in the marshalling, the project is independent of Transport for London and the Mayor’s office, and is being supported by the City of London Corporation, the Honourable Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers, City of London Police and London Ambulance Service. Funding currently comes from Aldgate Connect and Eastern City Business Improvement Districts.
Liverpool Street once had official marshals in place, but the taxi driver says that the service was dropped by TfL some years ago. Since then, concerns had been raised about the safety of women, particularly those travelling alone. Incidents of queue jumping, women being pushed aside, and taxis refusing fares were reported before the new scheme launched.
The return of marshals has been welcomed by both passengers and cab drivers. Travellers are handed flyers with QR codes linking to a short feedback questionnaire. Responses have been positive, with several passengers describing the presence of marshals as reassuring. Taxi drivers also noted a drop in disorderly behaviour and aggressive queuing since the team began their shifts.
This initiative was driven forward following the decision of Lady Mayoress Elizabeth Mainelli to support Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) as one of her chosen causes during her term. In response, the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals and the City Corporation approached the Honourable Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers to explore how the taxi trade could assist.
The result was the return of marshals at one of the City’s busiest late-night transport hubs. Each marshal wears a jacket bearing the names of sponsors backing the initiative.
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