London bus drivers gather outside the ‘Unite The Union’ Headquarters on Moreland Street, Clerkenwell, before the protest begins.
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Sleeping at the wheel, urinating in bottles, and constant stress: these are among the ordeals that London bus drivers say they experience on a daily basis.
On Tuesday, bus drivers, campaigners and supporters took to the streets of London to protest against dangerous working conditions on Transport For London’s (TfL) buses. These are operated by eight private companies, including Arriva, Metrobus and Abellio.
‘Unite, unite, we stand up and we fight’
Slogans like these were chanted as the protest wound its way from Clerkenwell to Southwark.
Campaigners called for bus drivers to have the right to adequate work-breaks, better access toilet facilities, and improvements to heat and cooling systems.
Drivers we spoke to emphasised that their march was not a strike, but an opportunity to demand improvements to working conditions that cause fatigue and discomfort.
They say these conditions risk the safety of London’s 24,000 bus drivers, as well as their passengers and fellow road users.
For bus drivers like Dianne, who works in East London, constant fatigue is one of the main causes of bus-related accidents.
She told us of an occasion of falling asleep while driving , having returned to work just one day after bereavement leave in another country.
“All I know,” says Dianne, “is that I was at the traffic lights, opened my eyes, and saw that the traffic was way ahead of me, so I knew I nodded off.”
Bus drivers rally outside TFL Headquarters as they listen to speeches. (Ella Ticehurst for City News).
Furthermore, a North London bus driver, who asked to remain anonymous, referenced the mental fatigue caused by strict time schedules:
“You become like a hamster running around in a wheel, just chasing time, chasing time, and when you get like that you have to stop, otherwise, you will just crash.”
Anonymous North London driver
Calls for ‘toilet dignity’
A repeated grievance that protestors highlighted was the inadequate access to toilet facilities on bus routes, a problem which they claim disproportionately affects female drivers.
One bus driver said she has resorted to extreme measures to meet sanitation needs.
“I carry a jar with me while I am driving,” said Tina,* “just in case I need the toilet during a shift.”
‘Going around in circles’
Unite the Union, one of the UK’s largest trade unions, played a key role in supporting Tuesday’s protest.
They are calling on TfL and private bus operators to act now and reduce the pressures on working drivers.
Protestors walk alongside a bus while crossing Blackfriars bridge with placards. (Ella Ticehurst for City News).
‘Richard’, one of the bus drivers who organised the campaign, told City News that support was growing for their cause, but he wasn’t optimistic.
“We are all fatigued,” he says, “there have just been so many disappointments over the years.”
While some public authorities have shown support, drivers say that change has not followed.
In 2017, the Chair of the Transport Committee of the London Assembly expressed concern that “drivers are working excessive hours, with inadequate time for breaks, leading to high levels of stress and fatigue.”
Richard said: “Until TfL has an honest look at the way they are doing things nothing is going to change.
“They have all the answers, but yet, we are going around in circles seven years later, asking the same questions. That is not a good look.”
‘Safety is at the heart of everything we do’
In response to our story, TfL told City News:
“Safety is at the heart of everything we do. Alongside bus operators, we take the welfare of bus drivers 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.”
Transport for London spokesperson
TfL points to safety programs like Vision 0, which aims for no deaths or serious injuries to be caused by London buses by 2030.
But bus drivers say change has been slow on the ground.
“They talk about Vision 0 but they are not taking it seriously,” says Peter Skinner, a bus driver in Wood Green and a Unite shop steward.
“They reward bus companies for covering miles. I would like to see a change where TfL starts awarding companies for safety.”
*The names of drivers we spoke to have been changed for anonymity.
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Short Headline
Standfirst
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Headline‘We are walking into 12-hour shifts half-asleep’: London bus drivers protest over their ‘dangerous work conditions’
Short HeadlineBus drivers protest in London
StandfirstOver 200 drivers campaigned outside TfL headquarters over the dangers of extreme tiredness and lack of access to toilets.
Sleeping at the wheel, urinating in bottles, and constant stress: these are among the ordeals that London bus drivers say they experience on a daily basis.
On Tuesday, bus drivers, campaigners and supporters took to the streets of London to protest against dangerous working conditions on Transport For London’s (TfL) buses. These are operated by eight private companies, including Arriva, Metrobus and Abellio.
‘Unite, unite, we stand up and we fight’
Slogans like these were chanted as the protest wound its way from Clerkenwell to Southwark.
Campaigners called for bus drivers to have the right to adequate work-breaks, better access toilet facilities, and improvements to heat and cooling systems.
Drivers we spoke to emphasised that their march was not a strike, but an opportunity to demand improvements to working conditions that cause fatigue and discomfort.
They say these conditions risk the safety of London’s 24,000 bus drivers, as well as their passengers and fellow road users.
For bus drivers like Dianne, who works in East London, constant fatigue is one of the main causes of bus-related accidents.
She told us of an occasion of falling asleep while driving , having returned to work just one day after bereavement leave in another country.
“All I know,” says Dianne, “is that I was at the traffic lights, opened my eyes, and saw that the traffic was way ahead of me, so I knew I nodded off.”
Bus drivers rally outside TFL Headquarters as they listen to speeches. (Ella Ticehurst for City News).
Furthermore, a North London bus driver, who asked to remain anonymous, referenced the mental fatigue caused by strict time schedules:
“You become like a hamster running around in a wheel, just chasing time, chasing time, and when you get like that you have to stop, otherwise, you will just crash.”
Anonymous North London driver
Calls for ‘toilet dignity’
A repeated grievance that protestors highlighted was the inadequate access to toilet facilities on bus routes, a problem which they claim disproportionately affects female drivers.
One bus driver said she has resorted to extreme measures to meet sanitation needs.
“I carry a jar with me while I am driving,” said Tina,* “just in case I need the toilet during a shift.”
‘Going around in circles’
Unite the Union, one of the UK’s largest trade unions, played a key role in supporting Tuesday’s protest.
They are calling on TfL and private bus operators to act now and reduce the pressures on working drivers.
Protestors walk alongside a bus while crossing Blackfriars bridge with placards. (Ella Ticehurst for City News).
‘Richard’, one of the bus drivers who organised the campaign, told City News that support was growing for their cause, but he wasn’t optimistic.
“We are all fatigued,” he says, “there have just been so many disappointments over the years.”
While some public authorities have shown support, drivers say that change has not followed.
In 2017, the Chair of the Transport Committee of the London Assembly expressed concern that “drivers are working excessive hours, with inadequate time for breaks, leading to high levels of stress and fatigue.”
Richard said: “Until TfL has an honest look at the way they are doing things nothing is going to change.
“They have all the answers, but yet, we are going around in circles seven years later, asking the same questions. That is not a good look.”
‘Safety is at the heart of everything we do’
In response to our story, TfL told City News:
“Safety is at the heart of everything we do. Alongside bus operators, we take the welfare of bus drivers 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.”
Transport for London spokesperson
TfL points to safety programs like Vision 0, which aims for no deaths or serious injuries to be caused by London buses by 2030.
But bus drivers say change has been slow on the ground.
“They talk about Vision 0 but they are not taking it seriously,” says Peter Skinner, a bus driver in Wood Green and a Unite shop steward.
“They reward bus companies for covering miles. I would like to see a change where TfL starts awarding companies for safety.”
*The names of drivers we spoke to have been changed for anonymity.
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