Confidential safety reporting scheme set to be extended to bus network

31 July 2015

Transport for London (TfL) announced today a new measure to further increase bus safety, with London's bus network set to become the first in the UK to adopt a scheme allowing employees to confidentially report any health and safety concerns to a third party.

The Confidential Incident Reporting and Analysis System (CIRAS) is standard across the rail industry and is currently used on the London Underground network. Its introduction to the bus network in London gives employees an extra way of reporting any concerns, complementing the proven methods for reporting and investigating incidents that are already in place.

Ken Davidson, TfL's Head of Bus Operations, said: `The bus network is extremely safe but we are always looking for ways to make it even safer. The extension of CIRAS to bus operators - at no extra cost - will mean employees have an additional way of reporting concerns and provides a corporate safety net to help further improve safety in the future.'

Earlier this year the Mayor set a target to halve the number of people killed or seriously injured on London's roads by 2020 compared to the Government base line, after the numbers reduced to their lowest levels since records began.

London's bus network is already very safe, with buses or coaches only involved in eight per cent of road collisions resulting in an injury, despite accounting for a third of road journeys. The number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured in an incident involving a bus or coach in Greater London has fallen by almost 50% between 2008 and 2013 in London, and work continues to make the service even safer, with London leading the way in trialling innovative technology such as Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) to limit bus speeds.

TfL will now work with the bus operating companies, which run services across the Capital, with the aim of introducing the CIRAS system to the network early next year.

ENDS

Notes to editors

  • CIRAS receives health, safety, security & environmental concerns from all employees. Employee personal information is always kept confidential. It liaises with the subscribing organisation.
  • CIRAS began in 1996 when a team from Strathclyde University was asked to introduce a confidential reporting system for UK rail company ScotRail.