Press Release

Unite lobby at City Hall to save London's bendy buses

20 May 2009

Location: City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London, SE1 2AA
Date: Thursday, May 21st, 2009
Time: 8:30am

Unite members will lobby London Mayor, Boris Johnson, during Mayor's Question Time (Thursday, May 21st) in their ongoing campaign to push for answers to the unanswered questions raised by the Mayor's bendy bus policy. According to Unite, the Mayor's plans to do away with the capital's bendy buses will lead to pay cuts for London's bus drivers.

Unite, the UK's biggest transport union, believes that Boris Johnson has failed to detail the significant extra cost of replacing London's bendy buses with conventional buses, the extra cost of which is certain to be paid for through the wage packets of over 1000 of the city's drivers for the ten years it will take to pay for the replacement buses.

Ahead of the lobby, Peter Kavanagh, Unite regional industrial officer, said: "When it comes to bendy buses, this Mayor is very strong on populist rhetoric, but dealing with the facts seems to cause him rather more problems.

"He has never addressed the very significant cost of replacing the bendy buses, which is strange for someone who claims he will save Londoners money. Similarly, little or no thought has been given to the impact of all these additional conventional buses on congestion and pollution in central London.

"Our members and their families, who are now faced with significant cuts in their income at this difficult time in order for the Mayor to pay for this scheme, deserve an explanation for this ill-thought out policy.

"Boris Johnson has described London's bus drivers as 'the World's Finest', yet his ten year transport plan does not support that claim. In looking for more cuts to bus services, he will be expecting bus workers to pay for his policies through their wage packets. This is not on and Unite will not stand by and allow this to happen."

Bus drivers will be lobbying outside City hall from 8:30am on Thursday May 21st, holding placards and wearing t-shirts bearing the message "Boris' Bendy Bus Plans - Passenger Costs Up, My Wages Down!"