London Bus Drivers Voice Concerns Over Fatigue and Working Conditions

Lorraine Robertson, a London bus driver for 17 years, resigned from her position, stating that the job had become “harder and harder” and she considered it unsafe. She cited increasingly crowded buses, insufficient breaks, and uncomfortable working environments. Ms. Robertson was among the current and former drivers who participated in a march through the capital on Tuesday to highlight their grievances. Among the issues they believe require attention are driver fatigue and a lack of toilet facilities. Transport for London (TfL) has affirmed its commitment to driver welfare, stating that it is implementing various measures to enhance working conditions, health, and overall wellbeing. Ms. Robertson indicated that passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists contributed to the job’s increased difficulty, while bus companies offered minimal support. “The buses are getting more and more packed, it’s unsafe conditions – the passengers don’t care. The cabs are freezing in the winter and too hot in the summer. Where’s it all going to end?” “If you do a12-hour shift and you get a 40-minute break, in that 40 minutes, you’ve got to leave your bus, find somewhere to go, go to the toilet, wash your hands and have something to eat. “Then you do a 12-hour shift – you get to the other end of the route, and what used to be called recovery time, now they call it stand time, used to be 10 to 15 minutes. Now it’s lucky to get five minutes. Some stand times have been cut to three minutes. It’s no time at all. “It’s just too stressful. You go home and you’re tired. Driving is tiring mentally. Your passengers are your priority. We have to make sure that they are safe. I think people need to be more aware and be kinder to us.” Ms. Robertson is one of several individuals advocating for improved conditions. Since 2014, 80 people have died in collisions involving buses. The families of these victims, including that of Kathleen Finnegan, who died at Victoria Bus Station, recently emphasized the need for changes. “We want to see how they investigate these incidents and we want to see if the bus contracts are having an indirect impact on safety,” they said. TfL had previously stated that safety was its “utmost priority” and that it was “committed to learning from every collision as part of our Vision Zero goal to eliminate death and serious injury on the network”. Listeners can access the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Story ideas can be sent to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Information regarding its approach to external linking is available.