"Connectional" bus routes that aren't really (and rail examples)

[Geordie driver]

What people are calling a " work around" I would call a fiddle. It's sticks to the letter of the law but not the spirit.

For those of you who have never worked local service buses, it can be pretty hard work. It's not just the driving, that's only about 60% of the work IMHO, it's dealing with the punters too. The only driver I know happy in his job drives for TFL and I think the low level of interaction with the public is the main reason.

How do you define what is safe? Trying to keep to time on a busy route is wearing, I would suggest 4 and a half hours without a break is enough, people I know in retail would not be expected to sit on a till as long as that with zero safety implications. I can assure people that if the law permitted 8 hours without a break the companies would allocate shifts like that, they appear to hate their workforce.

I don't think many people realise what conditions are like for bus drivers in the UK.

There is no intention from Central govt. whoever is in power to invest and run local buses so everything is done on the cheap.

 

[ashkeba]

I suspect the bus industry will be near the back of the queue with lobbying after Brexit and, given the protections that have already been removed recently, it's more likely that somebody will be lobbying to water down the drivers hours regs more generally.

Neither will happen. Boris has already agreed to a "level playing field" where the UK continues to obey EU regs. This has not been publicised by the UK press but is well known abroad and you can read it in the revised political declaration downloadable from the EU website.