New regulations governing bus safety in London ‘do not go far enough’, according to the London Assembly’s transport committee.
Transport for London (TfL) yesterday announced a new Bus Safety Standard (BSS) with the aim of delivering the target, set by the Mayor, of no-one being killed on or by a London bus by 2030.
The new standards were welcomed by the Assembly’s committee but were criticised for being a year late and only applying to new buses.
‘In July 2016, TfL promised that the BSS would be introduced to bus contracts from December 2017. We are now at the end of 2018 and being told that only new buses will meet the BSS by some time next year,’ said the committee chair, Caroline Pidgeon.
‘This means the vast majority of London’s bus fleet will still be on the road and will not be up to the Bus Safety Standard.’
Ms. Pidgeon said TfL should set safety targets for bus operators by integrating safety targets in the contract performance target structure ‘as soon as possible’.
‘Nothing is more important than keeping Londoners safe in this great city of ours especially when we are using public transport,’ said Ms. Pidgeon.
‘But TfL must prevent this from being a lottery. All passengers at all times should be assured their bus is safe enough to get on - not just the ones who are lucky enough to get on a new one.’
