Key workers have today warned that the London Underground is still dangerously packed and putting lives at risk – but have been told by Transport for London that their concerns ‘will be noted in feedback’.
Posting a number of pictures showing carriages in London packed with passengers, workers this morning have starkly warned that ‘TfL is helping to spread the virus’.
Another asked Mayor Sadiq Khan, ‘I am a key worker, how are you protecting me?’
But Transport for London have told passengers that their ‘comments have been noted’ and will be ‘included in a daily feedback report to help us improve the service we provide.’
Social distancing is practically impossible on London’s Underground network despite fears the virus is easily spread in the confined conditions
Passengers at Canning Town this morning, where the platform was packed for the morning rush hour
One passenger asked Mayor Sadiq Khan , ‘I am a key worker, how are you protecting me?’ But Transport for London have told passengers that their ‘comments have been noted’ and will be ‘included in a daily feedback report to help us improve the service we provide.’
Canning Town was thronging with commuters on their way to work this morning, forced to use a reduced service
As Britain edges closer to a month in lockdown, it has also emerged:
- The UK is still carrying out fewer than 15,000 coronavirus tests every day despite promises to swab 100,000 people daily by the end of the month;
- In total, the UK has tested 302,599 people, which means just four out of every 1,000 Britons have been checked for the killer disease;
- The sluggish progress means it is unlikely the UK will be able to scale up capacity within a fortnight to meet its ambitious 100,000 target;
- A ‘hidden epidemic’ of coronavirus in care homes may have cost 4,000 lives, experts warned last night;
- The Office for National Statistics says the virus killed 217 care home residents in England and Wales in the two weeks up to April 3 – but industry figures say the true count is much higher;
- NHS staff on the coronavirus frontline are being told to reuse personal protective equipment as the ‘last resort’, a leaked report revealed today.;
- Ministers are under huge pressure to come up with an ‘exit strategy’ from coronavirus lockdown today after the scale of the looming economic meltdown became clear;
- Labour has also turned up the temperature on the government, with new leader Keir Starmer saying it is ‘obvious’ restrictions must continue in the coming weeks, but calling for clarity on ‘what happens next’.
Social media users now fear they are being ignored after TfL told one woman: ‘I apologise for any inconvenience caused and I hope your day gets better.’
It comes as the UK remains in the grip of the fourth week of the lockdown with a reduced underground service, a number of stations closed and fewer trains running.
Commuters today have vented their anger as they are forced to wait up to 18 minutes for Central Line tubes from Ealing Broadway in west London, into central London.
They lengthy gap between services is leading to more key workers being packed into carriages.
The Mayor has come under intense scrutiny since the outbreak of the pandemic after refusing to run more services for key workers despite daily pictures showing packed underground carriages.
He has repeatedly urged Londoners to work from home where possible to protect key workers who need to travel and to avoid travelling at rush hour if they had to commute.
When asked why he has scheduled more trains he said earlier this month: ‘We cannot run more services due to numbers of TFL staff off sick or self-isolating.’
DJ Stevie C, who travels on the District Line, asked TfL today: ‘Do you think this is acceptable to run trains so infrequent that this many key workers need to be bunched together to get to work??? You’re helping to spread the virus!! Well done!!’
Canada Water Underground station was typically busy during this morning’s commute
Posting a number of pictures showing carriages in London packed with passengers, workers this morning have starkly warned that ‘TfL is helping to spread the virus’.
Commuters travel through Canning Town on London’s underground network this morning
Passengers have to queue in close proximity at Canning Town station this morning
Patricia Pereira added: ‘Tfl again, Jubilee line trains full in the morning. Are there less trains? What is your responsibility about social distancing? I am a key worker, how are you protecting me?’
The Transport for London Twitter account responded: ‘Hi Patricia, I’m really sorry to hear that. I have noted your comments and the attached photo and will include this in my daily feedback report to help us improve the service we provide.’
A total of 21 London transport workers have now died after contracting the virus, nine of them bus workers, according to the The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT).
The Mayor last night highlighted the safety of London’s transport workers, tweeting: ‘The safety of London’s transport workers is deeply personal to me, and something I take extremely seriously.’
But followers were left unimpressed with the sentiment. Follower Mark Hall responded: ‘I have been one of your supporters from the beginning. I am so disappointed in how you have handled the London transport situation during this pandemic.
‘You have put so many key workers lives at risk reducing the transport services resulting in crowded journeys. Shame on you!’
Furious drivers share photos of filthy London buses as it’s revealed 21 TfL staff have now died from coronavirus – but Sadiq Khan claims they DON’T need to wear protective gear
Sadiq Khan last week insisted London bus drivers do not need to wear personal protective equipment, despite the number of public transport workers in the capital to have died from the coronavirus rising to 14.
The London Mayor has come under fire from transport workers who say they are working in dirty conditions while 90 per cent of the capital’s buses and more than half of Tube services continue to run.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain last Wednesday, Mr Khan said Transport for London had sought advice from Public Health England, the Department for Transport and the World Health Organisation on whether drivers should have PPE.
He said: ‘What they’ve told us is that PPE should only be used in care settings. You know the shortage there is of PPE for our NHS and care staff, as recently as yesterday we rechased the government to get advice on this. Their advice is quite clear transport workers should not be wearing PPE.’
Offering his condolences to the relatives of all 14 London public transport workers to died during the pandemic, Mr Khan set out some of the measures TfL was taking to protect workers and passengers.
He said: ‘We’ve made sure we’ve had the most enhanced cleaning regimes we can do, we’ve learnt lessons from around the world so far example we make sure we use antiviral hospital-style disinfectant, regularly cleaning key touch points during the course of the day. So on the buses, not just the bus garages and depots but the steering wheels and the handles.
Mr Khan also explained a plastic film was being used to cover holes in the plastic screen separating drivers and passengers.
But drivers are unhappy with their conditions, Anne Nyack appeared minutes after Mr Khan’s interview to speak about her son, Holloway bus driver Emecka Nyack, who died from Covid-19.
She said: ‘It made me very, very angry that Sadiq Khan is saying ‘they’re diong this, they’re doing that and they’re doing deep cleaning’.’
‘They’re not doing deep cleaning, they’re just spraying it. Sadiq needs to get out there and have a look at the buses and see what conditions the drivers are operating in they’re at risk my son was at risk, sadly he died. ‘
Bus driver, 36, praised as ‘one of the best’ dies after contracting coronavirus
A 36-year-old bus driver who was praised as ‘one of the best’ in Birmingham has died after contracting coronavirus.
Mohammed Nehman, a National Express employee, mainly drove on the number 8 route through inner-city Birmingham and worked for National Express West Midlands for 11 years.
Mohammed Nehman, a National Express employee, mainly drove on the number 8 route through inner-city Birmingham
Colleagues at the firm said they were ‘heartbroken’ by the loss as the company paid tribute.
David Bradford, managing director of National Express West Midlands, said: ‘We are heartbroken at the loss of our colleague and friend Mohammed Nehman.
‘He had been a driver with National Express West Midlands for 11 years and mainly drove the 8 route.
‘He was one of our best drivers and had achieved Advanced Driver status. Our deepest sympathies are with his family.
‘At National Express, we are very proud of all our bus drivers, who are providing an absolutely essential service at this time of crisis.’
Coming under fire on GMB on April 8, Mr Khan said: ‘What I do is follow the advice from WHO and PHE, their advice is; in non care setting people shouldn’t be wearing PPE.
‘It is personal to me – my dad was a bus driver, many of my friends and people I know work in public transport and I work regularly and closely with the transport unions including bus drivers on a regular basis.’
Mr Khan said the Transport for London was looking at getting passengers on the bus via the back doors.
He explained: ‘We don’t want to inadvertently, because we’re avoiding passengers coming into contact with drivers, we don’t want to have too many passengers coming into contact using the back door, at the same time we’re speaking regularly with colleagues around the world to see what we can be doing. One of the things we do know is that keeping distance between passengers.’
Mr Khan claimed all 9,000 buses currently driving around the capital have been installed with a perspex film covering holes in a plastic shield between drivers and passengers.
But one Twitter user has rubbished that claim, saying a driver was forced to use cling film instead.
Mr Khan added: ‘They really aren’t being ignored, it is personal we’re making sure we’re taking steps in London that are world leading in this area I wouldn’t want anyone to be under the impression that we’re neglecting or ignoring our bus drivers or our transport workers, they’re as brave as our NHS workers.’
It comes as the UK endures its third week of the lockdown which has seen the bus and Underground service reduced with a number of stations closed and fewer trains running.
Mayor Sadiq Khan said last week that it was not possible to add more services because of the high number of Transport for London staff who were off sick or self-isolating.
He has urged Londoners to work from home where possible to protect key workers who need to travel and to avoid travelling at rush hour if they had to commute.
Mother makes a desperate plea for public transport workers to be adequately protected after son’s death
A mother has made a desperate plea for public transport workers to be adequately protected following the death of her son.
Emeka Nyack Ihenacho is one of nine bus drivers who have lost their lives to coronavirus in the UK.
The 36-year-old worked in Holloway, north London, for bus company Metroline, which has also confirmed the deaths of two more employees.
Emeka Nyack, 36, sits in the cab of a bus with his son, Makiah, who is now seven years old
Mr Ihenacho’s mother, Anne Nyack, criticised London Mayor Sadiq Khan, saying bus drivers are at risk of catching Covid-19 due to the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, she said: ‘He needs to get out there and have a look at the buses and see what condition the drivers are operating in. They are at risk, my son was at risk, sadly he died.’
She said her son had spoken to his partner and his sister about the ‘dirty’ conditions on the buses.
Ms Nyack pleaded with Mr Khan to provide better protection for transport workers and asked him to visit the families of those who have died.
She said of her son: ‘He was given hand sanitiser – he had no mask, no gloves, nothing. Plus, he was asthmatic, he was open to the elements.
‘I don’t want a letter or a telephone call, I want him (Mr Khan) to see the real faces of the tragedy, which is me and all the other bus drivers that have lost their lives.’
In an emotional tribute, a tearful Ms Nyack described her son as ‘a lovely man with a heart of gold’.
‘He would help anybody,’ she said. ‘He was full of laughter and always a joker, he had a nickname for all of us.’