The study, which was carried out for the End Violence Against Women Coalition, found that 28 per cent of women don’t feel safe regardless of the time of day at which they travel.

Only 15 per cent of men said they didn’t feel safe.

The coalition, which is made up of various charities, is calling on the government to take steps to make London the safest city in the world for women.

Many of the over 1000 respondents favoured greater visibility of staff and police as a way to assuage fears.

Some women reported having to change coaches on the tube or even change buses when travelling home at night.

One respondent said: “I feel safer on public transport than I do walking around, but I have still experienced several nasty incidents of sexual harassment on the tube where I have been forced to change carriage or leave the train a stop early to avoid harassment from men.”

End Violence Against Women Coalition co-chairwoman Marai Larasi said the survey results were “truly disturbing”.

“They confirm what many women already know – that thousands of us are worried about our safety if we choose to travel alone,” said Larasi.

“And that many women and girls in London actually do not feel able to travel after dark because of these fears.

“This is not acceptable in 21st Century London, and our political and community leaders have the power to do something about it.

“We call on all mayoral candidates to address these survey findings during their campaigns and on whoever is elected to hold a summit on women’s safety on London public transport,” she said.

Transport for London said that they share End Violence Against Women’s goal to make transport safer for women.

“The Tube is one of the most well-staffed metros in Europe and we are committed to every station having a member of staff at all times that services are running,” said TFL. 

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