The vast majority of urban public transport workers are bus drivers. Bus drivers spend their entire working day in the bus, behind the steering wheel. Time pressure, no proper breaks for healthy nutrition and toilets, congestion, aggressive traffic, and aggressive passengers make this an arduous job.
A well designed work place is essential for drivers’ health and safety. ETF demands a European standard for ergonomics of urban buses and we have made contributions to the so-called EBSF I project (UITP lead project ‘European Bus System of the Future’).
To support this demand the General Secretaries of ETF and IndustriAll signed a joint declaration on the need for high standards for urban bus drivers’ workplaces in Europe. The two trade union federations call for the development of such standards at European level and agree that they would benefit the health and safety of the workers concerned, and also promote high-tech and high-quality bus manufacturing in Europe.