New travel app from Peoplesafe making every journey safer
Over 5,000 violent offences against people in the UK are recorded by police every day, with many taking place while people are making journeys. This is reflected in how people feel about their personal safety when they’re travelling, with research showing that 75% of employees worry about personal safety when travelling for business, and 69% are concerned about personal safety on the commute. It is clear that more must be done to support Britain’s workforce to provide them with adequate personal protection and better peace of mind outside of work.
Travelsafe answers this problem by giving people reassurance and support whenever they travel. The app is an effective, scalable personal safety solution, that can be instantly rolled out and enable users to feel safe wherever they are travelling.
Whether commuting to or from work, travelling for business, or socialising with friends, Travelsafe provides 24/7 protection and reassurance, through a state-of-the-art Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) operated by expertly trained controllers who can bypass 999 to get help in an emergency in just 4 minutes, on average.
How does Travelsafe work?
Similar to a journey planner app, simply confirm your starting point, input the destination, and select how you’re travelling. Travelsafe will then calculate your estimated journey time and set an automated alarm for when you should reach your destination. Additional information can also be provided, such as the registration plate of a taxi, information about other passengers or route specifics.
The option to schedule check-ins throughout the journey is also available for added peace of mind. These notifications ask you to confirm that you’re ok and if, at any point, the response is ‘no,’ or if you fail to respond to welfare checks and subsequent prompts or follow-up calls, an SOS alarm is immediately raised to the ARC.
With all problem-free journeys, the timer is cancelled as soon as you’re within a certain radius of your destination. However, if the journey is taking longer than expected, you will be prompted to extend the timer. Should the journey time expire, and you fail to reach your destination or respond to prompts and calls from the app, an SOS alarm will be raised instantly, with real-time details of your journey shared with the ARC.
Mitigating risk for all employees
The rise in aggressive public behaviour, coupled with a dispersed workforce that can work remotely, has created a challenge for many security teams. Being able to monitor and provide help to everyone can seem like an insurmountable challenge.
This new technology makes it possible to proactively mitigate risk by giving people an automated way to get help whenever they need it. Backed by a 24/7 ARC, all alarms can be triaged and managed professionally, with the ability to dispatch emergency services directly. This reduces the effort and impact on security teams and only passes on serious incidents when they happen.
Brand reputation can also be safeguarded in the current climate of higher expectations from employees, who demand more from their companies to improve their wellbeing and keep them safe. Through Travelsafe, a higher level of protection can be extended to support people during the commute, as well as social journeys – particularly those carried out late at night – without extra resources or cost to the business.
Low-level risk management
Most people only call 999 if they’re in immediate danger but what about when they feel unsafe? Over half of employees (58%) have had an incident at work or on their commute that made them feel unsafe but most didn’t require emergency help. Through Travelsafe, welfare checks can provide constant reassurance that they have a quick way to get help, and when they do feel threatened, they can instantly speak to an ARC controller who can stay with them until they feel safe.
A company that provides this layer of personal security demonstrates the value that they place on their workers. Often, it is only those at the highest risk that are given technology solutions to protect their safety; however, investing in a service that benefits all employees demonstrates that they are a company dedicated to safeguarding staff at all times and strengthens brand reputation.
Scalable and cost-effective
While many safety solutions are both costly and challenging to implement, Travelsafe can be seamlessly rolled out at scale and downloaded on any smartphone instantly. Moreover, with automated welfare checks and alarms handled by Peoplesafe’s in-house ARC, there is no strain on human resources, allowing businesses to easily provide 24/7 protection to the people who make their business tick.
For more information about Travelsafe and how it can enhance personal security for your staff, visit Peoplesafe.
