A group of London bus drivers are considering striking after being pushed to “breaking point” by delays caused by low-traffic neighbourhoods and bus lanes being removed.
Drivers say cycling policies are making life on the capital’s buses a misery, with one bus taking 55 minutes to travel two stops when it normally takes four minutes, according to The Times.
The newspaper has reported that drivers have formed an alliance outside their union and are using a closed social media group to discuss possible action to confront Transport for London (TfL), including strikes and working to rule.
One driver who spoke anonymously said: “We are sick to the back teeth of what’s happening. TfL have been ripping out bus lanes and now LTNs are making things worse by hugely increasing journey times on certain routes at certain times.
“It means we are often finishing late and having to face passengers who are stressed out and angry.”
TfL has spent hundreds of millions of pounds introducing bike lanes in recent years, but bus drivers claim this is at the expense of public transport.
The driver also told the Times delays caused by LTNs were so bad on some routes that operators were curtailing buses, forcing passengers off mid-route.
He added: “So much of what TfL has done seems designed to benefit a privileged minority who live in nice areas or who can cycle. Working people have been forgotten.
“TfL don’t like criticism. Sadly the union won’t do anything because they’re Labour and it’s Labour councils putting in LTNs. It’s all political. But a lot of drivers are at breaking point.”
Bus lanes have been lost to cycle lanes on at least 20 roads across the capital, according to the Times’ analysis.
The paper reports that across London as a whole, bus speeds have fallen by nearly 10 per cent on average since 2020.
Last year 4.5 per cent of journeys were by bike and 20 per cent by bus.
TfL said it took the welfare of bus drivers extremely seriously and would encourage them to raise any concerns with their manager. It also pointed out that it intends to create 25km of new bus lanes by 2025.
A spokesman told the Times: “New infrastructure, including low-traffic neighbourhoods, can play an important role in saving lives and keeping everyone safe — including both people walking and people cycling.
"Wherever there have been localised congestion issues with LTN schemes we have worked closely with the boroughs, who are the highway authorities for these schemes, to adjust designs and retime traffic signals in response.”
