Our ref: FOI-0385-1718/GH
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 20 May 2017 asking for information on collisions in Oxford Street.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and TfL’s information access policy. I can confirm we hold some of the information you require.
Road safety data for London is collected by the police in accordance with Department for Transport STATS20 national guidance, and reported in STATS19 format. More information can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/road-accidents-and-safety-statistics-guidance
We publish detailed STATS19 road safety data back to 2005 on the London Collision Map which is available here:
https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/safety-and-security/road-safety/london-collision?intcmp=33888
You can filter the map to show different types of vehicles involved in collisions and the year you are interested in. For your request, you can filter to show those involving a taxi / private hire vehicle or a bus/coach. Please note that the police record vehicle types, but do not specify the vehicle owner, therefore we cannot advise you on collisions involving a ‘TfL bus’ – these would be included within the ‘bus/coach category.
STATS19 data does not identify the specific ‘cause’ of collisions. The vehicle type shows that these vehicles were involved in a collision. It does not indicate that they were at fault.
Bus drivers in London receive driving skills training through four key areas: initial license training, TfL specified City and Guilds qualification, on-going development and remedial training in response to monitoring or incidents. Contents and assessment of initial licensing training are prescribed and monitored by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to ensure consistent standards throughout the industry. Initial training takes up to six weeks and covers safe driving skills. We specify that all new bus drivers must achieve a Level 2 City and Guilds certificate in Professional Bus Driving for London within a year of entering service. The C&G qualification has safety content woven throughout its syllabus. Driver must complete 35 hours of on-going professional development every five years in order for drivers to retain their license (the certificate of professional competence). Within London bus operators generally deliver this as seven hours of training each year. Bus companies can choose areas of development from a number of approved subjects, and we collaborate closely with bus operators on CPC training content. This has resulted in courses such as “In The Zone” which taught drivers about the psychology of driver behaviour and self care in relation to safety, “All Aboard” which covered delivering an inclusive and accessible bus service and the benefits this brings to London’s communities, and the latest two-day training programme, “Hello London”, which focusses on delivering a safe and enhanced experience for customers.
Bus driver hours are already heavily regulated in the UK to prevent excessive working and are supported by break times. While driver breaks are for the operators to manage, these are often more than the statutory minimum. Because the parameters of the law are quite flexible in this area, types of break time and working hours either side vary across bus operators. The operators must keep records of these times for legal compliance reasons.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
If you are not satisfied with this response please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Graham Hurt
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
