Trade union Unite has warned that London could face gridlock if what it calls “exhausted” bus drivers take industrial action later this year. The union will begin a consultative ballot of over 20,000 members employed as London bus drivers later this month and, if drivers vote in favour, a full industrial action ballot will then follow.
As reported by local newspaper City AM, a recent survey of 5,000 Unite bus drivers found 79% of drivers made errors due to fatigue and that almost half worked six days a week, whilst a 2019 study by Loughborough University, and commissioned by TfL, found 21% of London bus drivers had to ‘fight sleepiness’ at least twice a week and that 17% said that they had fallen asleep at the wheel in the past year.
Since the publication of the Loughborough report, TfL has attempted to deflect responsibility for the fatigue being suffered by bus drivers and has said that it is the responsibility of individual bus operators to resolve the situation. Unite believes this position is entirely unacceptable and is demanding that London bus operators and TfL take decisive action to tackle chronic levels of fatigue that it says are being experienced by bus drivers.
The union has been critical of individual bus operators who it says have suggested that the solution is simply about ensuring drivers get more sleep. Unite is instead demanding a revolution in how bus driving is scheduled to ensure that drivers can finish on time, are able to utilise all of their breaks, work to proper schedules, have enough running time to complete their journey, are treated with respect and receive proper training.
Unite regional officer John Murphy said: “London bus drivers have had enough; they are permanently fatigued and at risk of being a danger to other road users, bus passengers and themselves. Unite will shortly be conducting a consultative ballot and provided our members endorse industrial action, strikes will follow later this year unless action is taken to ensure that the problems causing chronic fatigue for our members are resolved. TfL cannot simply sweep this problem under the carpet. It must act decisively and stop trying to pass the problem onto bus operators who have consistently failed to resolve the issue and have instead allowed it to worsen. For the last 25 years bus operators have been failing to deal with this problem. Unite members are saying enough is enough.”
Speaking to City AM, TfL Director of Bus Operations Claire Mann urged Unite to continue to work with the body to address the issue. “As this is such a complex and multifaceted issue there is no quick single fix, and the whole bus industry has a part to play,” she said. “That’s why we need everyone to have open and honest conversations that address the whole picture of fatigue as we develop and deliver a range of solutions.”
