About 200 London bus drivers have taken part in a protest to highlight poor working conditions they say increases the risk of road danger.
They marched from central London to Transport for London’s headquarters on Tuesday afternoon to demand action on the lack of toilets at the end of bus routes.
They say the driver’s cab on many buses is “sweltering” in the summer and “freezing” in the winter.
In addition, there is a lack of facilities for drivers to take a rest break between shifts – while shift patterns add to driver stress.
The union Unite, which represents many London bus drivers, says the cumulative effect increases the risk of bus driver “fatigue” – believed to be an underlying cause in a number of road crashes involving buses.
According to Unite, the contracts that TfL signs with the private bus firms that operate the capital’s bus network are focused on mileage and do not adequately incentivise safety.
The protest march comes soon after a number of survivors of serious injury on the London Tube and bus network said safety had to become a greater priority for TfL.
📢 Join London bus drivers on Tuesday 5th November, marching on @TfL to demand fair and safe working conditions - rest breaks, toilet access and reasonable temperatures.
— Unite For A Workers' Economy (@UniteEconomy) November 1, 2024
✊ Organised by drivers, and supported by @UnitetheUnion
More info: https://t.co/H6BiAtFLi1 pic.twitter.com/0dzmnkcMx3
Peter Skinner, the Unite shop steward at Wood Green bus garage, told The Standard: “Fatigue is an issue on London buses – the hours we work, the lack of facilities.
“Bus drivers have just had enough and we want to fight back and say we need facilities. We need toilets, we need rest facilities and we need proper breaks between duties.
“There is not a toilet at every route. That means you may go two or three hours without being able to use the toilet. You might be taking your break on the roadside.
“Some of the breaks are two or three hours long, so you might be wandering around the streets, trying to kill [time], because there is nowhere to sit down and have a proper rest.
“It’s definitely got worse. We used to have subsidised canteens. Now you are lucky to have a canteen at all.”
Mr Skinner said TfL should change its bus contracting rules to focus on safety rather than miles operated. “At the moment, companies get paid for the miles they cover,” he said. “This just pushes the drivers more and more.
“TfL has a Vision Zero [ no road deaths target by 2041] but we are still seeing [up to] 10 people killed on the road every year. TfL, rather than being proactive and looking at the causes, they’re coming up with gizmos that detect when you’re tired. We don’t want to get to the situation where we are falling asleep.”
Marcino Gregori, who drives a Superloop bus, said the job had got harder since he became a bus driver seven years ago. He said the buses were “recycled” buses that dated from 2016 and did not have air conditioning.
He said he had been sent home and had his pay docked for taking a break to cool down after the temperature increased beyond 40C in the driver’s cab.
He told The Standard: “You come to work and you don’t know if you are going to be sent home if you ask for reasonable recuperation time.
“Just this year I had to stop my bus, more than once, because it got far too hot in my cab. I exercised my legal rights. I removed myself from a dangerous workplace. I was sent home and told I was sick.”
London mayor Sadiq Khan, who introduced the Superloop buses, often refers to himself as the “son of a bus driver”. His late father drove the 44 bus.
Mr Gregori said: “I like Sadiq Khan, I do support him but I want him to listen to us. It does get a little bit annoying when he keeps coming up with ‘son of a bus driver’ and things seem to get worse rather than change.
“If TfL says this is unacceptable then the operators have to listen. He has the power to change this. I’m not just a London bus driver, I’m a London resident. He is my elected mayor.
“It’s a danger to the public and it’s a danger to his workforce - over 20,000 bus drivers. Millions of people every day are getting on buses and it is not safe. You are putting so much stress on your workers.”
A TfL spokesperson said: “Bus drivers play an essential role in keeping the capital moving and their safety is very important to us.
“Alongside bus operators, we take their welfare seriously and are working together on a range of measures to improve working conditions, health and wellbeing.
“We are committed to ensuring that all staff have a fair work schedule, with safe vehicles and access to the facilities they need to carry out their roles effectively.
“We encourage any driver with concerns to contact their employer, their union, or the Confidential Incident Reporting & Analysis Service (CIRAS) anonymously.
“We would like to reassure staff again that any reports from drivers are always fully investigated and our operators should never take action against people raising concerns about welfare.
“Safety is at the heart of everything we do and we will always take action and work with Unite the Union, to keep our staff and customers safe wherever necessary.”
