LOCAL BUS DRIVERS' HOURS

That this House notes that bus drivers work nearly six hours more but are paid 20 per cent less per week than the average UK worker; further notes that it is currently legal for local bus drivers to drive up to 130 hours over two weeks; is concerned that long working hours are a health and safety risk; regrets the tragic bus accident in Coventry in 2015 which caused two fatalities, including that of seven-year-old Rowan Fitzgerald, and is concerned that the bus driver involved had worked 72 hours per week on average in the month before the accident; supports the Rowan's Law campaign to limit the working hours for local bus drivers to that of long-distance drivers; welcomes the Transport Select Committee recommendation that the Government consult on whether legislation governing bus drivers' hours is fit for purpose; calls on the Government to respond positively to this and to introduce legislation which ensures that bus drivers work no more than 56 hours per week and 90 hours per fortnight; and further calls on the Government to ensure that bus drivers are legally entitled to a break of at least 45 minutes after no more than 4.5 hours driving and that these changes are all introduced with no detriment to bus drivers' pay.