Sir Sadiq Khan has rejected calls to establish basic rights for bus drivers in Transport for London's (TfL) written contracts with operators, arguing that a so-called Bill of Rights could become "out of date very soon" and that City Hall needs to consistently "evolve" its stance to best serve bus drivers.
The Mayor of London was speaking as TfL pledged to install toilets on all of its bus routes following campaigning from drivers. The transport network has also vowed to ensure air conditioning is retrofitted in all bus driver cabins by May 2027, though the Mayor himself has admitted it will be a formidable task to meet the timeline.
TfL agrees to three of 12 demands in Bill of Rights
City Hall has agreed to three of the 12 demands in the London Assembly's Bus Driver Bill of Rights, which was passed unanimously this summer. Other asks yet to be agreed include the right to a safe work schedule without any forced overtime or loss of pay, and a decent and proper rest break in the working day.
But the Mayor has rejected adopting the proposed legislation in full, despite ardent calls from campaigners and harrowing findings stemming from testimonies revealed by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) and MyLondon, as part of MyLondon's Back Our Bus Drivers campaign. The outlet is calling for five basic rights to be enshrined in TfL contracts with all London bus operators, and that action is taken once the contract is awarded to ensure acceptable working conditions are being maintained.
Mayor defends evolving approach
"We need to evolve and find new ways to help bus drivers rather than having things stuck in stone that could be out of date very soon," Sir Sadiq told the LDRS at a school in Kilburn, North West London.
"We're going to carry on finding new ways to keep our bus drivers as healthy as possible. Ten years ago, we didn't recognise temperatures would be north of 35 degrees in cabs, and we do now. So I'm really pleased we're not relying upon a 10-year-old agreement or bill of rights. What we're doing is making sure we listen to our bus drivers, work with trade unions to evolve and find new ways to service our bus drivers. And ultimately, that leads to customers getting a better service as well."
Assembly member criticises dismissal
Keith Prince, who proposed the Bus Driver Bill of Rights in the London Assembly, told the LDRS: "For a Mayor who so often reminds Londoners that he is the son of a bus driver, Sadiq Khan's dismissal of firm protections as being 'stuck in stone' is astonishing. My Bus Drivers' Bill of Rights includes proper rest breaks, safe schedules, clean welfare facilities and working air cooling, which was unanimously backed by the whole London Assembly. Drivers deserve proper standards, not another excuse from the Mayor who has had 10 years to ensure bus drivers are given the rights they deserve."
Sir Sadiq insisted that he will work closely with TfL and the trade union Unite to "make more progress" on improving conditions for bus drivers. He suggested that the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 was when "the public became fully aware of their importance" and that was "one of the reasons why we [City Hall] do a huge amount of great work with the trade unions".
"In the last 10 years during my mayoralty, we've invested more than £24 million in more than 150 toilets for our fantastic bus drivers—a basic human right as far as I'm concerned. And today I've announced a further £6 million for an additional 53 toilets as well."
Public ownership considered as potential benchmark
The Mayor also suggested that a move towards a publicly owned bus company operated by TfL, as opposed to the franchise model now where TfL hands contracts for routes out to more than a dozen operators, could create "benchmarks" for basic standards and potentially create a situation "where others can aspire to". However, he warned that TfL and City Hall were not yet in a position to confirm whether the transformation could happen. The LDRS understands that the transport body is carrying out feasibility studies with operators starting this week.
