Greens on the London Assembly have welcomed news that a confidential whistleblowing scheme is to be extended to London’s bus drivers and operators.
Earlier this week Mayor Boris Johnson confirmed that Transport for London is in talks to expand the Confidential Incident Reporting & Analysis System (CIRAS) to the bus network, allowing staff to register safety concerns.
The scheme is already available to Tube workers and safety campaigners have long wanted the bus service to be brought within its scope to help cut the number of road collisions involving buses.
Responding to a question from Green Party AM Darren Johnson at Wednesday’s Mayor’s Question Time, the Mayor said: “We now think there may be benefit to allowing bus drivers access to this system…and we’re in negotiations with CIRAS about future membership.”
Responding to the Mayor’s comments, Assembly Member Johnson said: “I have raised this on numerous occasions with the Mayor without getting agreement, so I am very happy that it appears to be finally going ahead.
“Passengers are going to be big beneficiaries of staff being able to pass on complaints about issues of safety and comfort.”
“There are big, cross party concerns about the number of casualties that result from collisions with buses.
“I am not convinced that Transport for London have got to grips with the safety of the vehicles and operating systems that they regulate. I think that involving the staff a bit more could help TfL to have a more rounded view of what is actually happening.”
