TfL to install fatigue sensors after 48% of London bus drivers report close calls
Unite survey reveals drivers work 13 consecutive days with one 40-minute break per 10-hour shift
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Transport for London will require bus operators to install sensors or cameras to detect driver fatigue by next year. The move follows a Unite survey that found nearly half of London’s bus drivers had a close call due to tiredness in the past 12 months.
The survey, reported by MyLondon, revealed that 36% of drivers experience sleepiness while driving two or three times a week. Drivers on local routes can legally work 10-hour shifts with no weekly limit beyond one day off every two weeks.
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Drivers describe 13-day stretches with one 40-minute break
Former bus driver Antonia Pugh-Thomas, 50, quit her role last month after nearly two years behind the wheel. She told MyLondon that drivers typically receive one 40-minute break during a 9- to 12-hour shift, often cut short by traffic.
Pugh-Thomas said she was never informed she would work up to 13 consecutive days before a single day off. She described the system as institutionally unsafe, with drivers treated like machines to maximise profit for private operators.
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It's perfectly normal for drivers to work up to 13 consecutive days. Of course you're going to be tired when you only have a 40-minute break off, and there seems to be no allowance. There seems to be no understanding that this is bound to make the entire system institutionally unsafe.
Antonia Pugh-Thomas, former London bus driver
Dylan Carroll, founder of London Bus Forums, said the turnaround between shifts can be as little as nine hours. He added that drivers feel fatigue-detection cameras are intended to penalise them rather than address the root causes of tiredness.
TfL defends £500,000 wellbeing spend as Unite calls it insulting
TfL allocated £500,000 for wellbeing initiatives, including sleep pods, after a 2019 Loughborough University study on driver fatigue. Unite condemned the spending as insulting, arguing it fails to tackle the underlying issue of excessive working hours.
Lorna Murphy, TfL’s Director of Buses, said the organisation is committed to fair schedules and safe vehicles. She stated that TfL will trial fatigue-detection technology and improve data analysis to support driver health.
What happens next
TfL will require bus operators to install fatigue-detection sensors or cameras by 2025. The technology will monitor eye movements, blinking rates and head position to alert drivers and operators to signs of tiredness.
Unite and London Bus Forums continue to push for stricter limits on working hours. No changes to legal shift patterns have been announced.
Questions this report answers
+How many London bus drivers have had a close call due to fatigue?
48% of London bus drivers reported a close call due to fatigue in the past 12 months, according to a Unite survey. This highlights the risks posed by long shifts and minimal breaks, as drivers can legally work 10-hour days for 13 consecutive days.
+What is TfL doing to address bus driver fatigue?
TfL will require bus operators to install sensors or cameras to detect fatigue by 2025. The technology will monitor eye movements and head position. TfL has also allocated £500,000 for wellbeing initiatives, though Unite called this insufficient.
+How long can London bus drivers legally work without a break?
Bus drivers on local routes can work 10-hour shifts with only one 30-minute break after five and a half hours of driving. They can work 130 hours over two weeks with no weekly limit beyond one day off every two weeks, as stated by MyLondon.
+What do bus drivers say about the new fatigue-detection cameras?
Drivers, including Dylan Carroll of London Bus Forums, say they fear the cameras will be used to penalise them rather than address the root causes of fatigue. They argue the focus should be on reducing excessive working hours and improving rest breaks.
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