Strut Safe is a UK-wide phone line run by trained volunteers who keep you company on the phone while you walk or travel alone, until you are safely through your door. Call 0333 335 0026 on Thursdays and Sundays from 7pm to 1am, or on Fridays and Saturdays from 7pm to 3am. Calls are almost always free within inclusive minutes. It is not an emergency service: if you are in danger, call 999.
Updated 3 October 2026 · Sources: Strut Safe (strutsafe.org, checked 3 October 2026), Apple and Google support. Disclosure: we make Safety App UK, one of the options compared below. We are not connected with Strut Safe.
Strut Safe is company on the way home, not an emergency line. If you are in danger, call 999 (or 112). If you can’t speak, stay on the line: see how to make a silent 999 call.
Strut Safe at a glance
Source: strutsafe.org, checked 3 October 2026. Hours can change, so check the site before you rely on the line.
What is Strut Safe?
Strut Safe is a volunteer phone line for anyone walking or travelling alone in the UK. It is run by a not-for-profit Community Interest Company (Strut Safe CIC, company number SC736453). A volunteer chats with you about whatever you like until you are through your door. There is no app to install and no account to create: you just call.
How does a Strut Safe call work?
When you call Strut Safe, an automated system puts you through to the next available volunteer. The volunteer asks your name and where you are, then keeps you company on the phone until you are safely inside. If no volunteer is free, you can leave a message or hear other helpline numbers. Here is a call in four steps:
1. Call 0333 335 0026
2. Say your name and where you are
3. Chat while you walk
4. End the call once you are inside
When should you call 999 instead of Strut Safe?
- someone is following you, threatening you or trying to grab you;
- you have been attacked, hurt or think your drink was spiked;
- you see a crime happening or someone in danger;
- you feel you are in immediate danger.
Strut Safe says its volunteers may contact the emergency services only if there is an immediate risk of serious harm and they have the information to do so. That is a back-up, not a replacement for calling 999 yourself.
What are Strut Safe’s opening hours?
Strut Safe opens four evenings a week, Thursday to Sunday, from 7pm. It closes at 1am on Thursdays and Sundays and at 3am on Fridays and Saturdays. It is closed Monday to Wednesday. Strut Safe says it is working towards opening on more days, so check strutsafe.org for changes.
Is Strut Safe free to call?
For most people, yes. Strut Safe’s number starts with 0333, and Strut Safe says calls are almost always free because they are included in the free minutes of most UK phone packages. If your plan has no inclusive minutes, you pay the standard 03 rate on your contract. There is no charge from Strut Safe itself.
What if Strut Safe is closed or nobody answers?
Outside opening hours, or if every volunteer is busy, call a friend or family member, or use a free tool on your phone. On iPhone, Check In in Messages tells a friend when you arrive and shares your location if you don’t; on many Android phones, Safety Check does something similar. See how to share your live location and how to set up Emergency SOS.
Strut Safe and other ways to get company home
A phone line and a location-sharing tool do different jobs, and many people use both. Green = yes, amber = partly, red = no.
Based on strutsafe.org and Apple and Google support pages, checked 3 October 2026. We make Safety App UK, which is not yet in the app stores; we have tried to describe every option fairly. None of these replaces 999.
Who can call Strut Safe?
Anyone who feels uneasy about a journey alone can call Strut Safe, whatever their gender, and you don’t have to give personal information. Call handlers may point younger callers towards services for under-18s, such as Childline (0800 1111). British Sign Language users can reach Strut Safe free through SignVideo interpreting during the same opening hours.
Does Strut Safe record calls?
According to Strut Safe’s privacy information, call handlers do not record conversations. The service logs the date, time and length of each call, and may note your location and destination in a way that does not identify you. Phone numbers are kept for a limited time to stop misuse of the line.
A call works best alongside a bit of planning. Before you set off, look at the area on the crime map on safety-app.uk, go through our walking home at night checklist, and if part of the trip is by public transport, read how to stay safe on night buses and late trains.
Frequently asked questions
No. Strut Safe says anyone can call, and it supports anyone who is worried about making a journey alone. You don’t need to give personal details beyond what helps the volunteer keep you company.
Yes. The line is for anyone travelling alone anywhere in the UK, not only on foot. On trains you can also text the British Transport Police on 61016 about something worrying; in an emergency, call 999.
No. Strut Safe is an ordinary phone call, not an app, so it does not see your location unless you tell the volunteer where you are. If you want someone to follow your journey on a map, use live location sharing as well.
Strut Safe announces volunteer recruitment on its website and social media, and it accepts donations to keep the line running. Organisations interested in working with it can contact the team through strutsafe.org.
Sources
- Strut Safe: calling Strut Safe, FAQs, policies and privacy
- Apple: Check In for Messages
- Google: Android Personal Safety features
- British Transport Police (text 61016)
General information, checked 3 October 2026. Opening hours and services can change; check strutsafe.org before you rely on the line. We are not affiliated with Strut Safe. In an emergency, always call 999.
Keep reading
Want your circle to see you get home?
Safety App UK shares your live location with a trusted circle, sends Safe Zone arrival alerts when you get home, and has an SOS (by button, shake, or automatically in higher-crime zones) that sends live location and live video. Its live safety map, built from police data and community reports, shows police stations and Ask for Angela venues and suggests safer routes. It does not call the emergency services, so in an emergency always dial 999. Free for 7 days, then £2.99 a month. For ages 16+.