An insight into what happens on board Plymouth Safe Bus has been highlighted by Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez in her latest podcast.

The specially adapted bus was introduced two years ago to help people stay safe while enjoying a late night out in the city centre and relieve pressure on the emergency services.

It is staffed by a team of paramedics and security guards, and nearby taxi marshals. The bus can be found parked up in the heart of the night-time economy at Derry’s Cross Roundabout every Saturday between 10pm to 4am.

In December the bus also operated every Friday night to improve safety during the busy festive season. To help keep it running, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) has provided funding of £10,000.

Since April 2024, more than 1,070 people have been helped by the safe bus team. Of those, more than 600 required medical help. The frontline team are paramedics from Western Medical Services (WMS), funded through the NHS.

Will Price, paramedic and founder of WMS, has revealed how the bus is helping people of all ages after being invited to be a ‘VIP’ guest in the second episode of the brand-new podcast series Your VIP (Your Voice in Policing) - a reference to the Commissioner’s vital role of acting on behalf of the public to be their voice in policing.

Hosted by Commissioner Hernandez, the second episode was filmed on Plymouth Hoe from the OPCC engagement van. WMS operates the bus service working alongside the police, city partners and the night-time economy to keep vulnerable people safe.

Will, a former 999 call handler before moving into frontline emergency ambulance work, explained: “There's many things the safe bus can help with, whether it be welfare provision such as somewhere to sit, stay warm, keep dry and feel safe or providing a bottle of water.

“People do get too intoxicated or maybe something breaks out, whether it be a fight or something outside of their control. Our role is to try and prevent those people going to hospital by looking after them.

“We have clinicians on board who are able to assess them or refer them on to alternative care, whether that be the hospital, their GP or a pharmacist, or it could be safeguarding referral.

“A lot of the individuals we help are aged between the 18 to 30 which is probably to be expected with the environment we're working in. But we've seen individuals over the age of 75, so there really is a broad spectrum of individuals that are coming into the bus.”

Plymouth Safe Bus was set up by Devon & Cornwall Police in collaboration with local partners including Plymouth City Council, University of Plymouth, Safer Streets, Victim Support, Best Bar None, the NHS and WMS.

This year, Plymouth received Purple Flag accreditation for the sixth year in a row. Purple Flag – like the Blue Flag for beaches – aims to raise the standard and broaden the appeal of town and city centres between the hours of 5pm to 5am. The safe bus was one of the initiatives praised.

The podcast also features PC Deb Hart who is responsible for managing and running the safe bus as part of her role as youth engagement and community safety partnership constable for Plymouth, said: “The additional OPCC funding for the bus this year will go towards its general maintenance costs, emergency clothing and has enabled us to install a toilet cubicle to screen any patients who think they may have been spiked.”

She added: “The police are able to refer people to the bus if they see come across an individual that may need that safe space, a phone charge, have lost sight of their friend, feel they've had a bit too much to drink or they need some medical attention.

“If the safe bus wasn't there that would put more pressure on our frontline officers out and about.”

Grateful to collaborative partnerships working that has made the bus service possible and Plymouth a safer place, Commissioner Hernandez said: “Plymouth is a welcoming city and is well-known for its night-time economy. Everyone works really hard, whether it's the business community with Best Bar None raising the standards in each of the bars, whether it's the council who have been supporting the safe bus as well, or the street marshals and police doing their patrols.

“Everybody's working together to make sure everybody has a really good night and that they can have it safely.

“The bus provides reassurance to people that no matter what happens on a night out, there's always going to be somebody there to help.”

Also a big supporter of the bus is councillor Sally Haydon, Plymouth City Council cabinet member for community safety.

She said: “The safe bus is really important to our night-time economy.

“I would like to thank the Commissioner for helping to support some funding towards it because we've been able to upgrade the safe bus to give some better facilities to help people who are out and about to enjoy a very good night-time economy.”

She added: “We've been able to do this through partnership working which is really important.”

Funding for the paramedics aboard the bus is provided by the NHS.

An NHS spokesperson said: “The Safe Bus is an integral part of the nighttime economy in Plymouth, providing medical assistance, welfare support and a safe space to those who need it. It is also a vital part of the NHS, providing an alternative for people other than calling 999 and attending the Emergency Department.

“It is great to see such a strong collaborative approach to supporting those who enjoy the night life in Plymouth and we are incredibly proud to be a part of it."

The OPCC is the main funder of a Saturday night bus service which provides the night-time economy, shift workers, and late-night travellers with safe transport until 4am. Since May 2025, 16,201 passengers across Devon and Cornwall – an average of 530 passengers every Saturday night – have taken advantage of the maximum £3 fare to travel on a night bus.

On Saturday, January 10, a new route from Exeter to Cranbrook new town in east Devon was added with additional funding from the OPCC. More information about Saturday night bus services in Devon can be found on the Stagecoach website and app.

To listen to the podcast and the previous episode, please click here.