London bus drivers are set to rally outside Transport for London’s headquarters next month, calling for a proposed Bus Drivers’ Bill of Rights to be written into the contracts used to run the capital’s bus network.
The rally is due to begin at 11am on Thursday 6 August outside Palestra House in Southwark, with talks expected to begin at around midday.
The rally has been organised by independent bus drivers. Promotional material for the event says: “City Hall agreed, now make it real,” and calls on TfL to include the proposed protections within its framework agreement with London’s bus operating companies.
THE KEY POINTS
At a glance
- The rally will begin at 11am on Thursday 6 August outside TfL’s Palestra offices
- Talks are expected to start at around midday
- Campaigners want a 12-point Bus Drivers’ Bill of Rights written into London bus contracts
- The London Assembly unanimously backed the principles on 2 July
- TfL says the proposed protections already exist and that changing the agreement is unnecessary
City Hall backed the proposal
The rally comes just over a month after London Assembly members unanimously backed a motion calling on the Mayor of London and TfL to formally recognise and support the principles of a Bus Drivers’ Bill of Rights.
The motion was proposed by Reform UK Assembly Member Keith Prince and seconded by Alex Wilson.
It called for TfL to work with bus operators, trade unions and driver representatives to implement the rights across all contracted London bus services and to review existing contracts to ensure minimum welfare and safety standards are enforced.
The 12 proposed rights
- The right to a safe work schedule without any forced overtime or loss of pay.
- The right to a decent and proper rest break in the working day.
- The right to drive a safe and well-maintained vehicle.
- The right to clean, serviced toilet and rest facilities on all bus routes.
- The right to report safety concerns without fear of retribution from TfL or employers.
- The right, when seriously ill and covered by a doctor’s note, to not be harassed into coming into work until fit to do so.
- The right to relevant and timely safety training.
- The right to drive without being forced to answer radio messages and texts from controllers while in motion.
- The right to have all company rules in writing and clearly displayed.
- The right to be treated with dignity and respect by employers, TfL and the public.
- The right to working air cooling in cabs during the summer heat.
- The right to working heaters in cabs during the cold of winter.
Campaigners held a previous rally outside Palestra in May, before the London Assembly formally backed the proposals.
TfL says protections already exist
The latest rally follows comments from TfL’s director of buses, Lorna Murphy, who was questioned about the proposed Bill of Rights during an interview with ITV News London last week.
Ms Murphy said the points contained within the proposal were already covered by employment law, health and safety legislation or TfL’s contracts with bus operating companies.
Asked whether the Bill of Rights should be introduced following the unanimous London Assembly vote, she said:
“I don’t believe it would make any difference because everything in there is already in existence today.”
Independent bus drivers argue that the protections should be clearly written into TfL’s framework agreement so drivers can understand their rights and operators can be held accountable when standards are not met. TfL maintains that the protections already exist, while supporters of the proposal want them explicitly set out and enforceable across every London bus operator.
Driver welfare remains under scrutiny
The rally follows renewed scrutiny of the conditions faced by London bus drivers, including concerns about fatigue, access to toilets and extreme temperatures inside drivers’ cabs.
TfL, Unite the Union and London’s bus operators recently established a task force to examine heat-related working conditions after drivers reported defective or ineffective cab cooling systems during successive periods of hot weather.
During her ITV interview, Ms Murphy said the task force would continue beyond the summer and was considering whether older buses could be fitted with newer cooling technology. She acknowledged that many drivers had experienced challenging conditions during the recent heatwaves.
London Bus Forums News asked TfL for details of the task force’s first meeting, including who attended and what actions were agreed, but had not received a response by the time of publication.
A Freedom of Information request has since been submitted seeking the meeting records and details of any further meetings.
The rally campaign is calling for respect, safety, dignity and better working conditions for drivers, including working air conditioning in drivers’ cabs, sufficient rest between shifts, proper toilet access and stronger support for drivers’ health and wellbeing.
Drivers and supporters are due to gather at 11am on Thursday 6 August outside Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8NJ. Talks are expected to begin at around midday.
The debate shouldn’t end with whether these rights already exist in legislation or contracts. The more important question is: how can the industry objectively demonstrate they are consistently delivered in practice?
If drivers are still reporting excessive heat, fatigue, inadequate welfare facilities and concerns about speaking up, then there should be evidence showing how these risks are identified, assessed, controlled, monitored and continually reviewed through an effective Safety Management System.
Whether it’s called a Bill of Rights or something else, the real issue is assurance, accountability and measurable safety outcomes.
This keeps the focus on systems rather than politics, which is likely to resonate with safety professionals while remaining constructive.