TRANSPORT company Arriva, which operates services in Kent, has welcomed new Government guidance on tackling crime on buses.

The guidelines include safety measures that can be taken by bus companies and local authorities to improve personal security for bus staff and passengers.

Better lighting at bus stops, effective surveillance, better procedures for reporting incidents and good partnerships with police, schools and young people are outlined in the Get on Board agenda.

Garry Flight, commercial manager at Arriva Southern Counties', said: "We welcome any initiative which makes travelling by bus safer, not only for our customers, but for our staff as well.

"We have been involved in a scheme with some local schools and police in the Dartford area, that has drastically reduced the amount of crime and misbehaviour on buses to and from school."

Figures have shown that 44 per cent of women and 19 per cent of men feel unsafe waiting at a bus stop at night.