Advice Issued on Dealing with Bus Strike
Most routes not operating full service today
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Bus services across London have been disrupted today following due to a strike by members of the Unite union. Staff are claiming an extra £500 bonus for working during the Olympics.
Earlier this morning TfL said that about a quarter of buses were operating. Staff from 17 London bus firms are not working but those with Arriva, Metroline and Go Ahead were prevented from joining the strike after the firms won an injunction against the unions.
Boris Johnson said "I can only conclude that this strike is being driven by hardline trades union militancy and a desire to have a strike for political purposes." TfL say that they secured an extra£8.3m from the Olympic Delivery Authority to enable the bus companies and Unite to resolve their dispute.
London regional secretary of the Unite Union said, Peter Kavanagh, said of the injunction: “It begs the question of whether the court has come under any external pressure in making the ruling. Granting an injunction in the face of a massive vote for strike action is an affront to democracy. We are fast becoming a country where justice rules in favour of big business and tramples on the rights of ordinary working men and women."
TfL is urging Londoners to utilise the wide range of information available in order to check the status of their usual service. Locally buses out of the Putney, Brentford, Merton and Willesden garages are expected to be in services according to a list of bus routes expected to be operating normally issued by TfL.
These options include:
- Up-to-date information on bus services by route can be found at tfl.gov.uk/buses
- Passengers can also check for bus arrival times using the Countdown next bus arrival service online, on their mobile devices using www.tfl.gov.uk or via an SMS text service
- Information on the latest situation is being provided via TfL's 2500 roadside countdown signs
- Travel alerts are being provided through Twitter on @TfLTravelAlerts
- TfL will also be proving information to radio and television broadcasts for use in news bulletins.
- A range of easily available Apps for handheld devices now use TfL's live bus information
- TfL will also have a large number of staff across the network and at key travel hubs to provide advice to passengers.
Where services are disrupted TfL urges passengers to use other transport options, or to walk or cycle where possible. The average bus journey is around 2.2 miles so many of these journeys could be made in this way. TfL has put in place a number of measures to help people get around and to manage disruption.
These include:
- London Buses staff and volunteers from across TfL will be on the streets and at key transport hubs across London to provide travel advice and distribute walking maps.
- TfL is operating a full service across the Tube network, with extra staff on hand to assist passengers.
- Full services are also operating on the Docklands Light Railway, London Tramlink and London Overground networks with additional staff deployed to assist passengers.
- Marshalled taxi ranks will operate at a number of key rail hubs including Victoria, St Pancras, Waterloo, Liverpool Street and London Bridge.
- A full service will also be operated by London River Services, which includes River Bus services that operate high frequency services between various key piers.
- During the course of the strike bus passes will be accepted on reasonable alternative routes on Tube, DLR, and London Overground - affected passengers should seek assistance from staff at the gate lines.
- TfL has also emailed around 1.5 million registered bus users advising them of the likely disruption and urging them to check before they travel.
- Additional distribution staff will work throughout today to ensure Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme docking stations are able to meet demand at key locations.
LU will has additional staff in place at key locations to provide help and information to enable customers to complete their journeys.
June 22, 2012