Unite welcomes TfL plan to bring London buses back into public hands

Unite, the union representing bus workers in the capital, has welcomed plans by Transport for London (TfL) to launch a publicly owned bus company in late 2027.

Under the new company, Buses for London, route 6, which goes between Willesden and Victoria station, will be the first publicly owned service to run before four further routes transfer into the operation in 2028. Buses for London’s first operational base will be at Park Royal Depot in west London.

Unite has worked with TfL and mayor Sadiq Khan’s office to achieve this decision, which the union believes should be the first step towards a fully public bus service in London.

The union believes bringing London buses, the most used form of public transport in the city, back into public ownership presents an important opportunity to improve jobs, pay and conditions for bus workers in London as well as provide a better service for the general public.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite has long been calling for London’s bus services to be returned to public ownership. Outsourcing to private companies hasn’t worked well for workers or passengers.

“For too long, bus workers have been subjected to intolerable working conditions and passengers have experienced worsening services while bus firms and their shareholders rake in huge profits. Today’s news is a positive step and Unite will now be doing everything possible to ensure that Buses for London provides well-paid, unionised jobs with excellent conditions.”

Currently, private firms submit bids to TfL to run franchised services. These contracts generally run for seven years and provide the bus operators with a set income that is performance dependent. At present, TfL contracts bus services to eight of these private operators across almost 700 routes. However, city hall is spending almost £1.2bn a year subsidising London’s fleets due to pressures such as soaring costs and slower speeds leading to a decline in passenger numbers.

Unite national officer for passenger transport Wayne King said: “Unite has been heavily involved in the plans for Buses for London and we have long backed public ownership of bus services. This is only the beginning. We’re determined to make sure Buses for London is a success, capable of winning more routes and growing its network. We also expect it to lead the way in workers’ pay, terms and conditions and treatment and will hold TfL and the mayor to account on this.

“While this is an important step forward for London’s bus network, there are still issues in London buses generally that need to be resolved. We will not stop until all our members are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve for keeping the capital moving.”