Bus drivers take action over excessive hours

Almost 400 drivers at the Wilts & Dorset bus company held three one-day strikes this month in a dispute about excessive driving time and imposed rosters.

The company, part of the Go-Ahead group, wants to roster drivers for more than four-and-a-half hours’ continuous driving – but the RMT transport union says this will put their safety and the safety of their passengers at risk.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said managers had “chipped away at drivers’ turnaround time and ignored complaints that they are expecting drivers to spend too much time behind the wheel without adequate breaks” for more than 18 months.

The firm has consistently refused to negotiate with the union, and has threatened to close depots. However, the strikes seem to have prompted a change of attitude: as Workplace Report went to press, further strike action had been suspended for talks to take place.