Unite has strongly backed proposals for a new publicly owned bus company for London. Last week, Transport for London (TfL) set out a new draft business plan, which aims to transform the capital’s transport network. Within this, it references the development of detailed plans for a new publicly owned bus company in London – the first in over 30 years should it go ahead.

The union says that the new business plan comes against a backdrop of ‘struggling’ franchised bus services in London, with mayor Sadiq Khan spending almost £1.2 billion a year subsidising London’s fleets due to pressures such as soaring costs and declining passenger numbers.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: 

“Unite has long called for bus services to be brought back under public ownership. It is nonsensical to spend billions subsidising public transport run by privatised bus companies who profiteer while workers and passengers face worsening jobs and services.

“This is a very exciting opportunity to improve jobs, pay and conditions for our bus workers in London and Unite supports the proposals for a publicly owned London bus company. It is high time bus services in London work for workers, passengers and communities rather than private companies and their shareholders.” 

Under the current model private firms submit bids to TfL to run franchised services. These contracts generally run for seven years and provide the bus operators  with a set income that is performance-dependent.

Under the TfL proposals for the public owned company, when franchise contracts come to an end TfL would review whether to bring them under a new public bus operator, rather than simply use the new company to operate loss making routes.

(Picture: Yay Images)