Michael Liebreich and Conservative mayoral hopeful Festus Akinbusoye addressed demonstrators demanding stronger protections for London bus drivers.
London bus drivers marched on Transport for London’s headquarters as a former TfL safety chairman accused the organisation of operating an “institutionally unsafe” system and criticised what he described as a culture of blame over collisions and driver fatigue.
Michael Liebreich, who served on TfL’s board between 2012 and 2018, criticised what he described as longstanding failures to address working conditions during a rally outside Palestra in Southwark on Thursday (5 November).
Independent drivers and supporters had marched from Lambeth North Underground station as part of their third annual demonstration demanding that a 12-point Bus Drivers’ Bill of Rights be written into TfL’s contracts with operators.
“The biggest failure of all is the complete failure of this institutionally unsafe system to look after the working conditions of bus drivers,” Mr Liebreich told protesters in a speech recorded by London Bus Forums News.
The former chair of TfL’s Safety, Sustainability and Human Resources Panel accused the organisation of failing to adequately examine the wider causes of bus collisions, including fatigue and operational pressures.
He also criticised what he described as a culture in which drivers were blamed when incidents occurred, rather than underlying safety concerns being addressed.
Mr Liebreich questioned the pace of improvements to toilet facilities, recalling that inadequate provision had been raised during his time on TfL’s board.
He has supported the Bill of Rights campaign throughout its annual demonstrations since November 2024.
TfL was approached for comment on Mr Liebreich’s allegations but had not responded by the time of publication.
Watch: Michael Liebreich addresses bus drivers’ rally
Video: London Bus Forums News
THE KEY POINTS
At a glance
- The march: London bus drivers marched from Lambeth North to TfL’s Palestra headquarters on Thursday 5 November, marking their third annual demonstration.
- The demands: Campaigners want 12 proposed rights written into TfL bus contracts, including safer schedules, guaranteed rest breaks and access to toilet provisions.
- Political support: The London Assembly unanimously backed the principles of the Bus Drivers’ Bill of Rights in July 2026.
- TfL’s position: The Mayor maintains that many protections already exist, while campaigners argue that formal contractual safeguards are still needed.
Conservative London mayoral hopeful Festus Akinbusoye also addressed the rally, urging the Mayor and bus operators to listen to drivers’ concerns.
The Westminster councillor, who is seeking the Conservative nomination for the 2028 mayoral election, said he had been moved to attend after witnessing a driver struggling in extreme heat during a journey on route 189.
He described seeing the driver sweating heavily inside a cramped cab on a crowded bus during the summer and said he feared for the safety of passengers if the driver became unwell.
Mr Akinbusoye said the driver told him: “No one is listening. No one cares.”
He called on politicians, the Mayor and employers to “sit down with the bus drivers, listen to their demands, and actually think about what they can do.”
Former London bus driver Antonia Pugh-Thomas, who attended the demonstration, told London Bus Forums News that the proposed rights needed to be written into TfL’s contracts to ensure operators were held to consistent standards.
“It is so crucial to have this written into the contracts because it will safeguard everybody,” she said.
Ms Pugh-Thomas, who left the industry earlier this year, said long working hours and limited time between shifts had left drivers struggling with fatigue.
“I had never experienced fatigue before becoming a bus driver,” she said.
She also questioned the use of fatigue-monitoring cameras to tackle tiredness, arguing that operators should instead address the working conditions contributing to the problem.
“You need to look at drivers suffering fatigue and work out what you can do to stop that and make their lives better so they don’t suffer from it,” she added.
Image: London Bus Forums News
Bus safety campaigner Tom Kearney also attended the demonstration, reading statements of support from three London Assembly members who were unable to attend in person.
Mr Kearney has campaigned for improvements to bus safety for more than a decade after being struck by a route 73 bendy bus on Oxford Street in December 2009.
He suffered severe injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, and spent around two weeks in a coma. He has since campaigned for greater scrutiny of safety across London’s bus network.
In a statement read to demonstrators, Green Party Assembly Member Caroline Russell welcomed TfL’s commitment to install air conditioning in drivers’ cabs by May 2027 but warned that further action was needed.
“This is welcome – and essential – but not enough,” she said.
Ms Russell also confirmed that the London Assembly’s Transport Committee would follow up its 2017 Driven to Distraction report in the new year, examining longstanding concerns about bus driver fatigue and working conditions.
Conservative Assembly Member Neil Garratt challenged the Mayor’s position that many of the proposed rights were already covered by existing arrangements.
“If drivers already have them, why not sign up?” he asked in a statement read on his behalf.
Reform UK Assembly Member Keith Prince, who proposed the Bill of Rights motion unanimously approved by the London Assembly in July, also reaffirmed his support for the campaign.
Image: London Assembly / City Hall
He said drivers deserved the basic workplace protections expected in other industries and pledged to continue raising the issue at City Hall.
TfL also announced funding for 53 additional toilet buildings over the next three years, following sustained complaints about inadequate facilities on parts of the bus network.
However, independent drivers maintain that improvements to individual facilities fall short of their central demand for all 12 proposed rights to be formally incorporated into TfL’s Framework Bus Services Contract.
The proposals include guaranteed rest breaks, safer working schedules, properly maintained vehicles, access to toilet provisions and protection for drivers who raise safety concerns.
Mayor Sadiq Khan has previously defended TfL’s approach, arguing that working with operators and Unite the Union to improve existing arrangements is preferable to reopening contracts to repeat protections already covered by legislation, agreements and other measures.
