Bus drivers to protest against proposed TfL cuts

Drivers could be “displaced” to other garages if plans to axe routes 14 and 74 from Putney to Russell Square and Baker Street go ahead, a union officer has warned.

Unite the Union members who work as drivers at Putney garage are calling for the routes to be saved.

They were joined by residents and Putney MP Fleur Anderson at a rally against the changes on July 16 and will be protesting again on July 27.

Putney bus driver Joanne Harris said the cuts would be a “disaster” for the area.

Ms Harris, who is branch secretary at Unite the Union, said: “We stand to lose the 14 and 74 bus routes – that equals 38 buses in total, which takes 114 drivers to drive them over a 24-hour period.

"So 114 drivers will possibly be displaced.”

She added: “The problem is, over the last few years bus drivers’ days have got longer and longer, averaging out around 12-hour days.

"If you’re moved to a garage far away, you’ve got to add extra time onto that for the travel so it could be 14 hours a day, and it’s not really where you want to be.”

Ms Harris, who has worked at Putney garage for 14 years and driven the 14 and 74 buses, added: “The length of time that people wait will increase and by the time the bus gets here it will be full up anyway.”

She later said: “All of this is going to impact on everyone – the elderly, the disabled, the least that can afford it as well because the buses are cheaper than Tubes.”

A petition created by Ms Harris against the proposals has been signed by more than 3,440 people.

The petition calls the routes an “important lifeline” for residents, particularly elderly and disabled people as they pass three major hospitals in total – Royal Brompton Hospital, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and Cromwell Hospital.

Labour MP Fleur Anderson said there is “strong support” for the drivers’ protest against the cuts.

She said: “TfL need to listen to what bus users are saying and keep the bus routes.

"I have met with local bus drivers in Parliament and at Putney Bus Garage to discuss these proposals, and they have concerns about residents with disabilities and the safety of those travelling at night if buses are cut.”

The biggest cuts to London’s bus network for decades are being proposed by Transport for London (TfL), with plans to remove 16 bus routes including the 14 and 74.

TfL is proposing the major changes because of savings it has been told to find by the government following emergency funding deals made during the pandemic. 

TfL has said it would extend route 414 from Putney Bridge to Putney Heath and divert route 19 via South Kensington between Kings Road and Knightsbridge if route 14 is axed, according to proposal documents.

The documents say the route is not being used to its full capacity and removing it would allow the transport authority to “reinvest resources where they are needed more”.

The documents add that ten per cent of passengers would need to change bus to finish their journey if the route is cut.

TfL has also said it would reroute the 430 along current route 74 between Lillie Road and South Kensington if route 74 is axed, according to the documents.

The documents say route 74 has “excess space on board” and that the changes would “simplify bus services in the area” and be a “more efficient use” of TfL resources.

The consultation period on the proposals has been extended by almost a month to August 7.

If approved, all 16 routes would be axed by 2023.

TfL has been contacted for comment.