Transport for London is to build 53 new toilet facilities for bus drivers across the capital over the next three years.
The organisation says the programme will improve provision in areas where drivers currently have limited access to suitable facilities.
TfL plans to invest a further £6 million in driver welfare facilities during the current financial year. It says £24.5 million has been spent on facilities including toilets and mess rooms since 2016, with 154 locations either refurbished or provided with a new toilet during that period.
The majority of London’s almost 700 bus routes now have suitable facilities at one or both termini, but six routes do not currently have toilets at either end. Drivers on these services must use facilities midway along the route or walk a short distance from the terminus.
TfL says it is accelerating plans to install a toilet at one terminus of each of these six routes and is working with boroughs and other local stakeholders to agree suitable sites.
A further ten routes have toilets at their termini, but the facilities are not available during all the hours in which the routes operate. TfL says it is also working to provide drivers on these routes with access throughout their shifts.
The measures have been developed following discussions with Unite the Union.
Carl Eddleston, TfL’s Director of Streets and Network Operations, said: “Drivers rightly expect to have the facilities they need to carry out their roles safely and comfortably, which is why we’re committed to investing in better toilet facilities for drivers.
“We’ll continue to work closely with operators, drivers and trade unions to ensure that everyone can work safely and comfortably on our bus network.”
The announcement follows an agreement between TfL, the Mayor of London, Unite and bus operators to install modern air conditioning in all London bus-driver cabs by the end of May 2027.
That work is being overseen by an Extreme Weather Taskforce established to consider drivers’ working conditions during periods of severe weather.
TfL says it is also working with operators on driver welfare through the monitoring of safety performance, reviews of schedules and operational practices, improvements to bus design and the measures included in the second phase of its Bus Safety Standard.
(File picture – Highways News)
