London bus drivers protest at lack of toilets, rest breaks and 'sweltering' cabs] This took the total of bus fatalities since April to six, while the number of serious injuries involving a London bus rose to 163 – an average of more than four life-changing crashes a week.
Caroline Russell, a Green party member of the London Assembly, backed the call for the “bus drivers bill of rights” to be enshrined into the contracts TfL agrees with the private bus firms, “to protect the lives of Londoners and ensure bus drivers can drive with a duty of care”.
TfL said that 1,776 of the 8,800 buses in the capital’s bus fleet met the “bus safety standard” (BSS).
Kevin Mustafa, a bus safety campaigner and former driver, said 20mph limits were making it harder for bus drivers to complete their routes on schedule.
Campaigners are urging the introduction of a London bus drivers’ “bill of rights” amid concerns that poor working conditions are linked to pedestrian and passenger fatalities and serious injuries.
