Free travel to refuge for those who are fleeing domestic abuse
The Travel to Refuge scheme was setup in partnership with Women’s Aid and various travel companies to cover the cost of train or coach tickets for women and children escaping domestic abuse and travelling to refuge accommodation. This is made up of two schemes:
- Rail to Refuge: Rail to Refuge is a joint initiative between Women’s Aid and the Rail Delivery Group which was initially set up in April 2020, providing free rail travel for survivors of abuse.
- Road to Refuge, a joint initiative between Women’s Aid and National Express, set up in 2023, providing free coach travel for survivors of abuse.
How Rail/Road to Refuge Works:
A survivor who is seeking assistance from a domestic abuse service such as Thrive Women’s Aid can reach out to access support. If suitable, the survivor will be referred to our refuge and will be notified once a vacancy becomes available.
Thrive will then arrange train or coach transportation for the survivor. Our refuge team can send the ticket and retrieval instructions to the survivor via their mobile phone. Subsequently, the survivor can utilise an e-ticket or a text message sent to their mobile device, retrieve the ticket from the station using any debit or credit card, or opt for the refuge to mail the ticket and personally deliver it to the survivor.
The survivor can then proceed with their travel plans without disclosing that the ticket was provided free of charge or that they are escaping from a situation of domestic abuse.
If you are in need of support, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our specialist support workers at:
01639 894864