Broken Bus drivers seat. **WON**

[rambo]

I'm a london bus driver.

 

We have a bus on my route that is quite old by normal standards, it's a 57 plate.

The problem is the drivers seat, the back of the seat moves backwards/fowards even when locked into postion. The seat base cushion has completly collapsed, the metal frame of the seat digs into my bum and thigh, and after a few hours driving I have severe pain in my lower back.

This has caused me to go 'sick on duty' 3 times, for which I have not been paid.

 

Myself and several other drivers have complained about this bus, I myself have written 3 reports about it and also noted it on the vechile condition report card.

 

The mechanics at work have looked at the seat and said there is nothing wrong with it, however, they don't have to drive the bus for 4+hrs and they recieve a bonus for not spending money on maintenence for the buses, so they have a vested interest in not fixing the seat.

 

I'm not in the union, however, the union rep has looked at the seat and reckons theres nothing wrong with it!!

I have made several videos of the seat showing how bad it is and took photos.

 

Would I be within my rights to refuse to drive the bus because of the pain it causes to my lower back?

[Marieleeza]

I'm a london bus driver.

 

We have a bus on my route that is quite old by normal standards, it's a 57 plate.

The problem is the drivers seat, the back of the seat moves backwards/fowards even when locked into postion. The seat base cushion has completly collapsed, the metal frame of the seat digs into my bum and thigh, and after a few hours driving I have severe pain in my lower back.

This has caused me to go 'sick on duty' 3 times, for which I have not been paid.

 

Myself and several other drivers have complained about this bus, I myself have written 3 reports about it and also noted it on the vechile condition report card.

 

The mechanics at work have looked at the seat and said there is nothing wrong with it, however, they don't have to drive the bus for 4+hrs and they recieve a bonus for not spending money on maintenence for the buses, so they have a vested interest in not fixing the seat.

 

I'm not in the union, however, the union rep has looked at the seat and reckons theres nothing wrong with it!!

I have made several videos of the seat showing how bad it is and took photos.

 

Would I be within my rights to refuse to drive the bus because of the pain it causes to my lower back?

 

I believe the safest thing for you to do is to raise a formal grievance about the seat and being required to use it. That would entitle you not to use that seat until the grievance has been resolved.

 

I believe there is some protection for you in raising a grievance because, if you simply refuse to drive the vehicle, you could be accused of failure to follow a reasonable instruction. I would also join the union and get the rep to accompany you to the grievance meetings.

[papasmurf1cx]

How bad is your back injury? Have you put in a injury at work report? If it were me I would see a solicitor and issue a Personal Injury action. I suppose having 20 or so bus drivers taking PI action against TFL and the seat would be fixed in a jiffy.

 

If the bus is not safe to be on the road and you know it is not safe then the public are at risk. If management know this and are absolving in their responsibility and there is a paper trail to show that they are failing in their duty and an accident occurs, they will be to blam, but so will the driver.

 

Surely traffic commissioners have some sort of power here if they know management are failing their duties, or the Police... wouldn't want to be stopped by a traffic cop.

[dx100uk]

health and safety rep

 

get them onboard.

 

dx

[rambo]

I have filled 3 occurance reports noting the injury to my back.

The injury is to my lower back and it takes about 6 hrs for the pain to subside after I have driven the bus.

I was in the union, but, tbh, I found them totally useless, right up the managements arse.

On monday i'm going to see the manager and raise a grievence.

 

TBH, i'm really p*ssed off with the whole situation, i'm not anti company or a jobsworth, I just expect to be treated fairly and lawfully.

[Marieleeza]

I have filled 3 occurance reports noting the injury to my back.

The injury is to my lower back and it takes about 6 hrs for the pain to subside after I have driven the bus.

I was in the union, but, tbh, I found them totally useless, right up the managements arse.

On monday i'm going to see the manager and raise a grievence.

 

TBH, i'm really p*ssed off with the whole situation, i'm not anti company or a jobsworth, I just expect to be treated fairly and lawfully.

 

Your grievance is best in written form and you could just hand it to your manager.

 

I feel that you should also be requesting physiotherapy from Occupational Health for your back problem. If you are a TfL employee they have that facility and your are entitled to paid time off to go. Something from your doctor saying that you need assistance with the back problem would also come in handy.

 

Management can get very nasty towards those who raise complaints, even though the worker's concerns are justified. It is best to cover your back from all angles and never meet management unaccompanied.

[Markb73]

Hi rambo,

As a former bus driver myself, do you not have the right to defect the bus and refuse to use it on health and safety grounds, I.e with the fact that passengers are your resposibility.

Go further up the union chain if rep useless and he will get a boot up the bum so to speak as well.

Anonymously inform vosa about the situation I can assure you they will pull all the records on the bus concerned and if it should be replaced then they will go to town on the company.

If you were injured as I was , then in my contract they paid whilst off sick from injury due to fault of vehicle.

Check your handbook for your defect rights and also refuse to drive bus if you already injured from it on passenger safety grounds,

I'm pretty sure the company will comply when you explain if you lose control of the bus they will get a lot of people possibly claiming .

Get a solicitor involved for your injuries , you may have solicitor cover through your union membership.

Good luck and keep us informed.

[dannysport]

my money is on this being a Go around bus ?

you can do some thing about it I used to dead with the upkeep on buses for some big company's in london drop me a PM

[stu007]

Hi

 

This is disgraceful so your company is willing not only to put its employees at risk due to a faulty seat but also any passengers and members of the public they should be ashamed of themselves. What will they do if there is a serious accident with this bus due to a faulty seat and how many reports about same fault need to be put in before a company that carrys members of the public at cost where is the Health & Safety Representative.

 

Cost cutting never ever means putting employees and the public at risk whistleblow them to the Local Authority how give and as advised put a grievence in as well.

[IdaInFife]

my money is on this being a Go around bus ?

you can do some thing about it I used to dead with the upkeep on buses for some big company's in london drop me a PM

 

Please keep things on the open forum as we never know who a poster can be!

[rambo]

Can I just say that the seat is not at the stage of being dangerous, I can still drive the bus, but, because of the pain the seat causes, i'm constantly fidgeting, which is not good for maintaining safe control of the bus.

 

I filled out an accident report at work today for the injury for my back.

I was allocated the bus today for my 1st half of my duty, but I refused to drive it. The controller was not happy!!

 

There are alot of drivers who complain about this bus, but, they don't file an occurance report, mainly because when they finish work they just want to get home. I keep telling them to file an occurance report, but i'm afraid they are quite apethetic.

 

Now that ive filled an accident report and filled out the accident book, the company have to take this seriously.

 

Can I also add, I do not work for TFL, london buses are run by private companies on behalf of TFL.

[papasmurf1cx]

"Can I just say that the seat is not at the stage of being dangerous, I can still drive the bus, but, because of the pain the seat causes, i'm constantly fidgeting, which is not good for maintaining safe control of the bus." ergo the bus is unsafe !!

 

Hope this works for you. I know from experience how painful back problems can be. Please let us all know what happens.

[dannysport]

your garage manager should have it replaced

sound like a Route EL as they have new buses on the contract but are down a bus or 2 at the mo

as do a lot of the buses in the west end of london

if your cant sit in the seat its not SAFE end of

 

do you know your union Rep will get paid a flat week of 50 hours and any over time they do to keep them happy

would you rock the boat if you was the rep?

they also get stand down days and nice easy shifts when you have to drive

Edited January 1, 2012 by dannysport

[dannysport]

a New seat is around £1300 for a air seat as the late volvo B9's have

and if the bus is from a diff garage the garage that have it would not want to spend that money on a new seat as it comes down to that garage to fix it

or they could put a std seat in not as good and they are around £450 for one of them

 

and the fitters would be told to hold off till it goes back to its home garage

[a-peed-off-bus-driver]

This is all quite interesting reading as a seat collapsed on me yesterday whilst in service approaching a very nasty junction. Once I righted myself it promptly collapsed again. What's interesting is that despite it being 'looked at' by fitters before the previous driver took the bus from the garage it still collapsed.

 

Apparently it happened to the next driver as well, the seat was changed after this collapse!

 

Oh, I'm also a workplace rep and all the bull**** about 50 hours, any O/T blah blah blah is just that ... ****e! I've been a rep for some years and as yet have had no favours showered down on me, and to be honest wouldn't want them. I prefer to be confrontational and antagonistic, if that means I miss out on all the so called perks than so be it. Don't tar all reps with the same brush!

[Marieleeza]

 

Can I also add, I do not work for TFL, london buses are run by private companies on behalf of TFL.

 

That should not matter when it comes to using the OH facillities such as physiotherapy.

[dannysport]

I know of Reps in 2 company's that get nice easy Duty's and stand down 3 days a week and are on stand down every time a driver needs to see the manager

the rep's I know get 50 hrs a week flet wek off the company

both of them are in diff company's

 

I was a in the union in the branch with unite and left after they wanted to cover up some things

one other rep had taken £2800 for a mobile phone and a laptop and paper work in 14 weeks

 

I know I used to get nice easy shifts and paid a flat week as did the rep at the other branch

as well as stand down most days with stand bt drivers doing 90% of my work

 

when i stopped being in the union I was moved away from driving I know the other rep's still get looked after

but its how the manager wants to look after the work place rep's at the end of the day

[dannysport]

This is all quite interesting reading as a seat collapsed on me yesterday whilst in service approaching a very nasty junction. Once I righted myself it promptly collapsed again. What's interesting is that despite it being 'looked at' by fitters before the previous driver took the bus from the garage it still collapsed.

 

Apparently it happened to the next driver as well, the seat was changed after this collapse!

 

Oh, I'm also a workplace rep and all the bull**** about 50 hours, any O/T blah blah blah is just that ... ****e! I've been a rep for some years and as yet have had no favours showered down on me, and to be honest wouldn't want them. I prefer to be confrontational and antagonistic, if that means I miss out on all the so called perks than so be it. Don't tar all reps with the same brush!

 

was this also a London go ahead bus ? you was driving I would ask your self why did the fitter say seat was fine when it was not ? they will have put pen to paper on the vehicle condition card defect card to say that seat is good to go in service

and have told a Lie just to keep the bus on the road and to save any Lost milage

as you will know the company get Big fines for that as it could of been fixed when the bus was in the garage or changed the bus after the first driver reported it

 

also the union is only as strong as its members

[a-peed-off-bus-driver]

was this also a London go ahead bus ?

No, I am loathe to mention specific names, although the company is one of the big country wide operators, they were in London, sold up, then apparently bought the same company back .... nuff said?

 

also the union is only as strong as its members

I have to agree, as the members I represent are a bunch of [edit]s, perhaps this is why I and the rest of the reps feel like they are banging their collective heads against a brick wall

Edited January 4, 2012 by honeybee13
Language. Please keep it civil. PM sent.

[a-peed-off-bus-driver]

@dannysport - sorry mate, not enough posts to reply to the PM!

[dannysport]

I know who your on about I used to work for them a L garage

and went to a diff company that got sold to go around

[dannysport]

What the Driver needs to do about this is if he has done his Back in

Go sick over it and report it to the company doctor he has to call in if sick

they will send a email to the garage manager who in turn will send it to the engineering manager

as the GM will want to know why the seat was not replaced

 

 

I would replace seats all the time as a Driver my self if i was not happy with the seat why should a driver put up with it

but you need ALL the staff to deal with it not just one or two

[rambo]

Will keep you all posted.

[dannysport]

Will keep you all posted.

 

Rambo keep us posted

[rambo]

Update.

The pain has been so bad I went to see a osteopath, he said that I have locked vertabrate, which may have been caused by the dodgy seat.

Ive been 3 times now, £35 for 30 minutes!!

I have now refused point blank to drive the dodgy buses and have not, as yet, been disaplined or spoken to by management.