Bus workers march for safety in London

November 5, 2024 –
From Socialist Worker (UK)

1 views

Unite union members and campaigners march on the Stand Up For Bus Workers demonstration (Picture: Guy Smallman)

Around 150 bus drivers and their supporters marched through central London on Tuesday to demand safety for workers and passengers.

Workers at the Stand Up For Bus Workers slammed Transport for London (TFL) and bus bosses for running a public service for profit.

Bus driver Salman said, “I can see the institutional corruption from top down. But the drivers bear the burden—TFL’s profits come from putting less buses on the road and reducing buses’ wait time.

“We are forced to answer the radio while driving, which is dangerous, and then there are the toilet issues.”

Drivers are forced to drive without toilet breaks—and, even when they are on break, they often don’t have access to toilets.

Lorraine, a retired bus driver, said, “Everyone knows what it’s like to need the loo, but there’s not enough toilets. For female bus drivers, they need dignity and they just haven’t got it.”

Salman added that there is often pressure from the top that affects driver—and passenger—safety. “One day the brakes on my bus were faulty,” he explained.

“I reported it, but I was told to carry on. I asked the controller to take responsibility, but they said no and told me that I had to keep driving.

“Another example is when you leave the bus stand and you’re late, because you couldn’t find a toilet or the bus was faulty. You get a message to hurry up or you get a radio call asking why you’re late.

“What’s happening affects passenger safety. Management bullies us, it feels coercive and they put the blame on us.”

Another driver, Sam, agreed. “There’s a big fear factor in the whole industry,” he said. “But this is about public safety, not just bus drivers

“The public suffers because of TFL’s actions. All over London the number of buses have been cut and the routes have been cut, and passengers are endangered by the conditions drivers have to work in.”

One speaker at the protest, Tim Carney, was hit by a London bus 15 years ago. “TFL sees time as money,” he said. “This bus system is very lucrative, but not for drivers. The only way TFL can make money is by reducing headway and increasing mileage.”

This means drivers are pressured to drive faster and take as few breaks as possible. Tim said, “As a result, in the last ten years, three people a day are hospitalised by preventable accidents, and one person every six weeks dies.

“This is just the beginning of our campaign, and the beginning of the end of TFL’s long term safety scandal.”

Katie from the London Cycling Campaign said, “It’s deeply wrong that TFL is putting safety at the bottom.

“TFL is ignoring safety at every level. It needs to create inclusive, affordable, safe and sustainable travel options for people around London.”

Driver Steve said, “It’s key that drivers push the issue and build around it.”

Many drivers said they had pushed their Unite union into backing them by organising at the grassroots.

Phil said, “This has just got worse and worse, but Unite didn’t seem to take it seriously. We had enough. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham is very much in support of us and gave us organisers and resources to build this movement.”

Sam said, “We were organising this ourselves. We said this is what we are going to do—and then Unite came in behind it.

“Unite has been good. But we won’t be dictated to by the union and we’ll do it our way—this is just the start so drivers and the public can see we are on the move.”

The bus drivers are shining a light on how public services run for profit can end in disaster—and show how rank-and-file workers can push unions into action.

Strikes across London would ramp up pressure on TFL and the bosses.