2026-10-06T18:13:59Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34007733 2026-09-30T00:31:17Z category_26377 portal_12 item_type_5 month_year_09_2026

Kirsten Tilleman: Upstanders Spotted on Public Transport: Research Suggests 'Bystander Effect' Is A Myth Kirsten Tilleman (14327676) Transport engineering bystanders upstanders public transport safety security systems theory violence LGBTQI+ gender <p dir="ltr">Public transport (PT) safety concerns reduce mobility and disproportionately affect marginalised riders, including women, LGBTQI+, and young adults. Despite growing interest, evidence on bystander action in real-world incidents remains limited. This thesis research examines violence on PT, the effects of bystander help, and riders’ preferences for future assistance and anti-violence measures. Three studies combine for a mixed-methods approach that includes two anonymous online surveys of adult PT riders New Zealand (n=524, n=862) and focus groups with 25 LGBTQI+ PT riders in Auckland. The research applies an overarching systems thinking approach to evaluate the outcomes of statistical and reflexive thematic analyses. Results show that after bystander help actions, current harmful behaviour tends to improve or stop, and witnesses' confidence to provide future help tends to increase. The research supports investing PT authority resources into upstander programmes that align with rider preferences and strengthen community-based safety in combination with complementary measures.</p> 2026-09-30T00:31:17Z Image Poster 10.17608/k6.auckland.34007733.v3 https://figshare.com/articles/poster/Upstanders_Spotted_on_Public_Transport_Research_Suggests_Bystander_Effect_Is_A_Myth/34007733 CC BY 4.0