‘Bus drivers must be fully protected’. With five dead, unions demand government action.

Five London bus workers have now died of coronavirus (Covid-19), according to a trade union. Unite said the deaths were a “terrible tragedy”.

Tragedy

Regarding the deaths, regional secretary of Unite Peter Kavanagh said:

Unite will assist the families of our members in every possible way during this terrible time.

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 tweeted:

This is so very sad. Heart goes out to their families. London’s bus operators and @TfL need to do all in their power to make sure bus drivers have adequate PPE . Bus drivers, taxi drivers, supermarket workers are the unsung heroes of the #coronavirus crisis. Keep them safe.

— chantal chegrinec (@chantalc28) April 4, 2020

[Safety] 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.

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.

We are also calling on the Government to make provisions for transport workers in terms of personal protective equipment.

As The Canary has reported, the lack of personal protective equipment is an issue that’s also affecting the NHS.