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Coronavirus: London mayor 'devastated' by deaths of bus workers Coronavirus: London mayor 'devastated' by deaths of bus workers
(about 7 hours later)
Sadiq Khan reiterates call for Londoners not to use public transport unless essentialSadiq Khan reiterates call for Londoners not to use public transport unless essential
The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has said he is “absolutely devastated” after five bus workers in the capital died after testing positive for Covid-19. London bus drivers mourning the loss of five colleagues are “scared to death” of catching coronavirus and still do not have full hygiene measures in place, their union has warned.
Khan tweeted that “lives depended” on people following government rules to stay at home unless travel was essential. Drivers still do not have access to sanitising wipes and many driver cabins have yet to be fitted with protective Perspex boxes, the Unite union said on Sunday.
The trade union Unite said the deaths were a “terrible tragedy”. After the deaths of three bus drivers and two bus controllers in the capital, a public health expert has also called for all staff driving buses across the UK to be given face masks.
Khan said: “I have been clear that our incredible public transport staff – on the buses, tubes, trams and trains – are critical workers, making a heroic effort to allow our NHS staff to save more lives. Unite’s regional officer for London bus workers, John Murphy, said the deaths of his colleagues had “terrorised” his 24,000-strong membership, particularly those driving buses.
“But we need to play our part too and that means fewer Londoners using the public transport network. Please follow the rules. Stay at home and do not use public transport unless it is absolutely unavoidable.” “What has happened has scared them to death and terrorised the drivers. I have been a driver on London buses for 24 years and I can tell you that we are a family. What has happened to our colleagues hits us all,” he said.
Unite’s regional secretary, Peter Kavanagh, said: “Unite will assist the families of our members in every possible way during this terrible time. Murphy said that as of last Wednesday all of London’s 80 bus garages had procured hand gel for drivers and other staff. The problem, Murphy said, was that there was a lack of sanitising wipes that drivers could use both in the garage and out on journeys with the public.
“Unite has been working continuously with Transport for London (TfL) and the operators to ensure the safety of drivers and others in the industry who are performing a heroic job in getting NHS and care workers to their places of work. “Unite, working with Transport for London and the bus companies, have managed to secure plenty of hand gel – but what we are waiting for are the sanitising wipes,” he said. “There appears to be a big shortage of wipes and they are needed. I understand that because production is dramatically down and factories are closing there is a real shortage, but we are calling on Transport for London to seek a new source for them as soon as possible.”
“These measures include deep cleaning of buses, additional cleaning of touch points, the sealing of screens around the driver, the provision of hand sanitiser for all and placing the passenger seating closest to the driver out of bounds.” The former bus driver stressed that every bus on London’s streets and roads was now deep cleaned overnight before it left the garage, but said he was calling on both TfL and the bus companies to allow Unite shop stewards access to any deep clean that took place, if members requested it, to reassure bus workers that the vehicles had been properly cleaned.
He added: “I have been in direct contact with the mayor of London who shares our view that bus drivers must be fully protected. My officers are holding daily meetings with TfL, exploring further safety improvements and we are absolutely committed to doing everything in our power to make the driving of buses safe during this unprecedented crisis. Murphy said the installation of protective Perspex booths was “still on a rolling basis” and not all buses on the road were fitted with them.
“We are also calling on the government to make provisions for transport workers in terms of personal protective equipment.” “Given that the fleet is running on reduced services, perhaps Transport for London could fit the buses not in use with the booths so that drivers on every route still operating will be behind Perspex as soon as possible,” he added.
Gareth Powell, TfL’s managing director for surface transport, said: “We have been extremely saddened to hear of the recent passing of our colleagues in the bus industry. Our thoughts are with their families and friends and we have been offering the bus companies for whom they worked every support possible. Dr John Ashton, a public health expert who is currently advising the Bahraini government on its response to the Covid-19 crisis, said it was essential that bus drivers wear masks as well as working behind protective screens.
“The safety of our staff and customers is our absolute priority and we have been working closely with the bus companies, the mayor and Unite to implement a range of changes and improvements to keep the bus network and garages safe for those operating and using it, in accordance with Public Health England advice. The former regional director of public health in Northwest England said: “Really the bus drivers and indeed public transport workers should be afforded the same protection as NHS staff. That means they should be given face masks and all should be tested for the virus. This is so obvious. They are public servants working day in day out with the public and they need everything at their disposal to protect themselves and those they come into contact with.”
“Our clear message to Londoners is simple: the transport network is only for critical workers who need to make absolutely essential journeys. Please, everyone else, stay at home, don’t travel and save lives.” Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said he was “absolutely devastated” by the news of the bus workers’ deaths. He promised to bring in further measures to ensure higher levels of protection across the London transport system.
Khan said: “I have been clear that our incredible public transport staff, on the buses, tubes, trams and trains, are critical workers, making a heroic effort to allow our NHS staff to save more lives.
“But we all need to play our part too, and that means fewer Londoners using the public transport network.”