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London bus cuts: Bosses did not think of ethnic minority staff, MP says

Getty Images Bus driverGetty Images
Several bus routes are set to be cancelled and many others altered under the plans

Transport bosses have failed to consider the impact of planned bus cuts on its large ethnic minority workforce, a Labour MP has claimed.

Neil Coyle, who represents Southwark and Bermondsey, has accused Transport for London (TfL) of an "unlawful failure" in its planning.

Several routes are set to be cancelled and many others altered.

A consultation into the plans to cut about 4% of buses, as proposed by London's mayor Sadiq Khan, has closed.

TfL said it does not have a legal duty to look specifically at how cuts will affect staff because the workers are directly employed by individual bus companies.

Getty Images Bus at Elephant and CastleGetty Images
Two of the 16 routes to be cut go through Elephant and Castle

Among the 16 bus routes set to be lost are the Number 12 and Number 45, which go through Elephant and Castle in Mr Coyle's constituency.

The MP said it will mean longer journeys for passengers as well as having a detrimental impact on a workforce, which is drawn disproportionately from ethnic minorities.

Mr Coyle said: "Bus drivers and the wider workforce worked throughout Covid on the frontline and rightly received our thanks and applause.

"They deserve to be taken into consideration by TfL now it is making bus cuts and service changes in the face of short-term, unsustainable funding from the government.

"TfL admits that passengers in my patch fare badly under the proposals, but the bus workforce gets no mention - even though they are required to be taken into account."

Neil Coyle Neil Coyle, MPNeil Coyle
Mr Coyle said TfL should have carried out an equality impact assessment for workers from ethnic minorities

TfL said it had carried out "equality impact assessments" looking at how the changes could disadvantage specific groups of passengers including women, the disabled and young people.

However, such assessments are not required for staff.

"We do not hold a public duty as these are not our employees. We have some demographic details on bus operator staff, but not at route level," TfL said.

Mr Coyle claimed the union Unite may seek judicial review of the consultation process.

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