Thread by @comadad

#StopKillingBusDrivers The ‘Wages of Fear’ of London Bus Drivers” Excellent Investigative Reporting of @TfL Bus Driver #COVID19 Fatals by @c_ducourtieux @lemondefr w quotes from @spencersuckling @MLiebreich @KeithPrinceAM @CarolinePidgeon @RMTunion @unitetheunion @SadiqKhan

"@spencersuckling assaulted in mid-May by motorcyclist who spat on him. 'It was disgusting & I was worried abt #Covid19 so I spent 7 days at home in self-isolation. b/c I had no symptoms, I wasn't tested. Fortunately, I didn't get sick' Spencer was luckier than Belly Mujinga.."

“Spencer also luckier than the 33 London bus workers (incl 29 drivers) who died of #coronavirus. Ranjith Chandrapala, 64....Nadir Nur, 48, drove 394....Lory Locsin, Paul Aheto, Solomon Hagos, Kenneth Yeboah ... Most were of BAME origin”

“Where were they infected? In their bus? in contact w customers? At the depot? by going to toilet/in rest rooms? On way to work? No systematic tests were carried out in garages b/c, except for caregivers & hospital patients, tests were not available from March 12 until May”

It's therefore difficult at this stage to have certainties, esp. since bus drivers are not directly employed by @TfL. Founded 2000, this public enterprise is in charge of a large number of subsidiaries, notably managing the London Underground & part of the capital's railways."

"@TfL also oversees the network of red buses, but has contracts for subcontracting w a dozen private companies, subsidiaries of large international groups (Metroline belongs to @ComfortDelGro, @TowerTransit to @STG_AUD, RATP Dev London to @RATPgroup)."

"These companies are responsible for the safety of the drivers & own the buses. None of them responded to Qs about their employees who died from #Covid19. Only Metroline—which accounts for almost 1/3 of the recorded deaths (9 drivers)—responded to our requests for information."

"The safety of our employees has always been our top priority & we continue to do everything we can to make sure they are as well protected as possible during this extraordinary time," said a [@ComfortdelGro Metroline] spokesperson.'

"@MayorofLondon @UKLabour @SadiqKhan has hired @MichaelMarmot @UCL to investigate & @TheMarmotReview report expected 'this summer'. @TfL told us: 'We are absolutely devastated by the deaths of 29 bus drivers' reiterating 'driver safety is 'our top priority'"

"The drivers who agreed to testify—most of them requesting to remain anonymous for fear of losing their jobs— have already decided that #COVID19 deaths could have been avoided if they had been more quickly & better protected in late February & early March."

"They had to wait until 20 April for passenger access to the front of the bus to be sealed off (i.e., 10 days after pandemic's peak by which point at least 15 drivers had already died) & until 11 May to be given masks."

"33 deaths from 20000 bus drivers in a capital that was the epicenter of the #Covid19UK pandemic between March & April? You might be tempted to play these numbers down: you shouldn't."

"According to the latest figures from @ONS, an average of 81 English people per 100,000 people died from #COVID19 btw March 1 - May 31: the Death Rate of [@TfL] Bus Drivers was almost twice as high."

"[@TfL] Bus Drivers were on the Front Line to provide an Essential Service to Londoners & these Deaths sadly illustrate the Calamitous, Nonchalant & Muddled management of the pandemic in UK, the country w highest Death Toll in Europe (nearly 43,000 official deaths as of 18 June)"

“In some depots, there were 3 or 4 deaths [4 in Westbourne Park owned by @TowerTransit]. 'If this had been the case in my depot, I wouldn't have gone to work' said @spencersuckling an employee of the private company @TheGoAheadGroup"

"For his part, John (name changed) says that he continued to work throughout peak epidemic 'w/o stopping & fortunately w/o getting sick. 3 drivers died in my depot, 1 nearly my age. I knew him well, He died very quickly, in just 2 weeks. It did something to me" he sighs.

"For him 'the physical distancing measures in the depot came to late, same for the alcohol hand gels & sealing our cabins'"

Adam (another name changed) also worked thru the pandemic noting, despite his [bus] company's pledge to ensure “thorough cleaning” in March, his 'steering wheel remained dirty when [he] picked it up.' “I had to clean it w my own wipes & we had to wait a long time for masks”

"Obliged to work when a large majority of the British were in #lockdown (from 23 March), the drivers drove [@TfL] buses in immensely stressful conditions. "I was afraid, I sealed my front door myself w/o waiting" said Theresa Emerson [Bus Driver &] @RMTunion Rep."

Lorraine, ended up recording a short video on 12 April that went viral.

“I am making this video for my son, daughter, 3 grandchildren, father & mother in Jamaica. If I'm sick & in a coma, I won't be able to say goodbye. I'm proud of my work but I am afraid of dying, b/c @TfL & the government do not protect us enough."

"It is thanks to this testimony that @TfL ended up having the front doors of London's buses sealed. Every Thursday evening, the British applauded their "heroes": the nurses, the doctors and all the other "key workers" (cashiers, delivery men, taxis or bus drivers ...)"

"In the army, your job is to go into battle. If you are a doctor or a nurse, getting sick is one of the risks [of the job]. But Bus Drivers are not prepared for these kinds of [workplace] risks” adds Steve. Steve is asthmatic. However, he worked until mid-April."

"At the start of April, he was driving mostly empty buses: Londoners were only allowed to go out for essential travel. "But as soon as sun came out, in mid-April, people started to take the bus again: they were taking an empty shopping bag to make it look like they were shopping"

"When Steve's company finally offered to place him on furlough he—worried about his health—accepted, despite a 20% drop in salary. Since June & the end of #Lockdown, bus journeys have been increasing & he's always in fear of being called back to resume his job:"

"I don't know if [I'll be called back] b/c it's more secure or b/c they just need more drivers. " Steve tells us about Emeka Nyack Ihenacho, 36, who died in early April.

"The young man was a driver at Holloway depot (N London), owned by @ComfortDelGro Metroline. He was asthmatic & his mother told the British media that he did not want to stop working because 'otherwise he would earn less' but 'he had neither gloves nor mask, nothing'."

"There is also the case of Peter, another @ComfortDelGro Metroline employee, also very vulnerable. In 2013, following serious health problems, he was discovered to have a rare blood disease. He was put on treatment & returned to work the same year."

"When #COVID19 1st appears, Peter explains to his management that he is 'taking immunosuppressive therapy & is at risk if he drives in pandemic conditions'. @ComfortDelGro Metroline reply that Peter could only claim sickness benefits ie. 80£ (about 89€) per week"

""I can't live on so little, so I kept working." Peter's doctor tells him 'not to leave his house, even to go & empty trash'. But company's position holds firm until early April, when Peter is finally allowed to take leave & safeguard for a short period."

[Peter] "I felt that my loyalty to work was not recognized. The only thing that matters w these private companies is the shareholders.""

"Why weren't all these workers automatically placed on short-term unemployment or protected as a priority? Was it due to Serious Negligence from [London Bus] subcontractors? If so, the wrongs seem to be shared w the client @TfL. In any case, that is the opinion of Tom Kearney."

"For 10 years, this American-born man has struggled to improve safety in London transport. In 2009 he was mowed down by a bus on an Oxford Street pedestrian crossing. When he wakes up after 2 weeks in a coma, he is surprised neither @metpoliceuk nor @TfL contact him."

"He looks for London Bus Casualty Data on @TfL's website. Without success. 'When there's no data made available, that can only mean @TfL is trying to hide something'

"Tom FOIs Data & discovers disturbing statistics: each week, there are 4 KSIs from @TfL Bus Collisions. Under pressure from Tom, in 2014 TfL finally agrees to publish—every quarter—London Bus Casualty Data" gmblondon.org.uk/news/people-ki… HT>@GMBLondonRegion @BWTUC @CricklewoodMum

"& then for @TfL to extend @CIRAS_UK to London Bus Drivers which allows them to confidentially report their safety concerns. He jokes: 'After they almost killed me, I became the spokesperson for the [bus] drivers"

"thanks to the deep network he has built up w drivers, it is he who helps keep the list of deaths due to #Covid19 (showing depots & companies) up-to-date. He also has the names of the deceased but does not distribute them 'out of respect for the privacy of their families'"

"For Tom, @TfL should have mobilised in February but TfL rebuts that: Masks? "TfL followed official recommendations of @PHE_uk" said a TfL spokesman. "In April PHE indicated that masks weren't required outside of medical settings [...]"

"As soon as PHE changed [its position] & the benefit of using masks in closed places was recognised, we supplied masks to all the drivers."

"Tom doesn't back down: @TfL is clearly accountable even if indirectly. “TfL signs contracts w Bus Companies that have demanding time performance targets but none for safety. It is a Negligent System: Responsibility for Safety at @TfL & the Bus Operators isn't clearly defined"

"In the standard subcontracting contract between @TfL & Bus Companies (content.tfl.gov.uk/metroline-bus-…), it can thus be read that the latter must 'take all steps necessary' in order to ensure the safety of users & employees."

"But w "Unsafe Practices" at Bus Subcontractors @TfL "has right to immediate access to their vehicles & premises". When #Covid_19 swept over London, Bus Companies were responsible for protecting their drivers. But TfL could've - should've?-investigated if they were doing so..."

"But @MayorofLondon @SadiqKhan also lacked leadership. After all, is he not Chairman of the Board of Directors of @TfL? He—the Man on the Left—Defender of Minorities & 1st Muslim mayor of the Capital: shouldn't he have established himself as the Best Defender of [Bus] Drivers?"

"In 2016, during his campaign —successful—to win London City Hall (he took over from @BorisJohnson Mayor 2008-16), he played up his modest background & had multiple photos at the wheel of "double-deckers".
parhlo.com/pakistani-bus-…

"'@MayorofLondon kept saying that his father was a bus driver, but that just makes us laugh now' says Adam."

"@SadiqKhan had just launched his campaign for a 2nd term—& was well on his way to winning it—when the #COVID19 pandemic swept over the United Kingdom, leading to the postponement of the elections to May 2021."

"@MayorofLondon has much to lose from a Failed Management of the Health Crisis. His political opponents have understood this."

"@SadiqKhan's responsibility is not to execute government policy, it is to do everything possible to protect Londoners", says @MLiebreich @TfL Board Director 2012-2018."

"Mayor @BorisJohnson went well beyond national regulations by prohibiting alcohol in transport" @MLiebreich added. "@MayorLondon's continued to advocate for wearing of masks to government. But if he thought wearing one was good, why didn't he provide them to Bus Drivers earlier?"

"@KeithPrinceAM, @GLAConservative @LondonAssembly (responsible for scrutinising @MayorofLondon's actions), asked for an inquiry into the 33 deaths." [Note: he asked in May MQT 2020/1511 for Independent Inquiry into 42 known London Transport Worker Deaths london.gov.uk/questions/2020…]

"HIs @LondonAssembly colleague @CarolinePidgeon @GLALibDems is more nuanced: '@TfL could have done a better job. But those responsible are mainly private companies, which pay drivers & offer such poor working conditions.'"

"And there remains the role of @unitetheunion, the main [London Bus] Drivers' union. Most of our interlocutors told us that that @UniteLondonEast was too close to @TfL & not attentive enough to the Drivers."

"Tom Kearney wants to see the background behind a [Tripartite] Agreement signed in early April between @UniteLondonEast @TfL & Subcontracting [Bus] Companies that discouraged the wearing of masks." [Note: FOI: REJECTED whatdotheyknow.com/request/april_…]

"In our depot, this union is not efficient, I left it," says Adam. "@unitetheunion is too big a supporter of the mayor," said @MLiebreich"

"In the UK, unions are among the primary funders of the @UKLabour. @unitetheunion made a substantial donation —£85,000 (around € 94,000)—to @SadiqKhan in 2015"

“Driver safety has been our priority. Deep cleaning was introduced in early March, as well as securing the [Drivers' Cabins] then we had the front door closed & made sure that the social distancing was respected in the depots."

"Does the union find it alarming that 3 or 4 [#Covid19] deaths are clustered in certain depots? 'Every death is a tragedy, but this disease is new & we will never know how the Drivers were infected. There was no obvious cluster in depots' said the [@unitetheunion] spokesman."

"Will the families of the [#Covid19] Dead know the Truth one day? Will the Drivers' memory be honoured so that they do not fall from anonymity into oblivion?"

"In early June, two meagre bouquets of dried flowers were still visible, hanging on the gates of the Willesden [Metroline @ComfortdelGro] Depot (in NWLondon), a discreet tribute to 2 deceased drivers from #Covid19."

"It’s better than at John’s depot: 'There was no ceremony. We just continued to do the job as before. You see ? Buses have to keep running, that's how it is, it has to be London-specific.'"

"As the British capital has emerged from the [#COVID19] pandemic in June, Drivers have resumed their duties. The front doors were unsealed, the [Drivers'] Cabins were covered with Plexiglas. Passengers now flood in, but bitterness remains: like fear from an attack."

"It's always in the back of my mind," says Steve, who shares his concerns as he opens the window on his right, street-side, to let in a little fresh air. All these drivers finally mention 'the lack of consideration' [for their welfare]"

“'Before the pandemic, we were seen as low-skilled employees. When the pandemic arrived, we started cheering on Thursday evening. Now, we're just going to become Bus Drivers again, that's all' regrets Adam, who nevertheless appreciates the 'thanks' passengers regularly tell him"

"However, says Mary, a driver: "We Red Buses are the Blood & Arteries of London."—HT>@c_ducourtieux @lemondefr