New measures are to be put into place to reduce fatigue in London bus drivers thanks to an in-depth study which has identified the key issues
Transport for London (TfL) has published a lengthy report which investigates the extent and nature of fatigue in London bus drivers.
And the ground-breaking research has resulted in TfL committing to install tough measures to improve road safety by tackling the tiredness issue.
It looks at the contributing factors to fatigue and concludes with solutions that it plans to implement to address the problem.
A world-first – the study was commissioned in response to Unite the Union’s work to highlight the complex issue and conducted by Loughborough University and the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI).
As a result, all new bus contracts from summer 2020 will require operators to put in place rigorous fatigue risk management systems to address the problem.
Key contributors
Claire Mann, Director of Bus Operations at TfL, says: “This report builds on the issues that Unite the Union raised, and allows the whole industry to go one step further. With the evidence from this study, we will require bus operators to have fatigue risk management systems and more formal fatigue training for managers.”
The 98-page report looked at key contributors to fatigue in drivers. These include shift work and shift irregularity, sleep quality and quantity, overall health of drivers, a disciplinary culture, stress and mental overload whilst driving.
A focus group of six to eight drivers were chosen from different London depots. This included a mix of experienced drivers and those that had been driving for at least one year. The group were invited to attend a discussion, talk to each other and the researchers, and share their experiences.
They were asked to consider and discuss the following issues: Do bus drivers believe fatigue to be a problem in their industry? How is fatigue managed at work? How do problems like stress and threats/violence contribute to driver fatigue?
This was followed by one-to-one telephone interviews with a range of managers to determine whether a mismatch exists between how drivers are managing fatigue and how managers believe that fatigue is being managed.
Other drivers took part in on-road observation whilst working on buses in service on a central London route. They were observed while driving on the same route twice, once in an expected alert condition and once in an expected fatigued condition.
A total of 16 drivers were included in the study (average age 46). Volunteers were recruited among drivers scheduled to work the selected bus route during the study period.
Change needed
21% of survey respondents indicated that they have to fight sleepiness at least two to three times a week, and 36% of respondents had a ‘close call’ due to fatigue in the past 12 months.
Data from the policy review, focus groups, and manager interviews highlighted the need for an established fatigue management system (FRM), incorporating reporting, monitoring, and mitigating of fatigue risk.
One obvious cause of fatigue is drivers who don’t sleep properly, with some having sleep conditions. Work related factors were also found to influence whether drivers had to fight sleepiness. Those who had less than 11 hours’ break between shifts were 45% more likely to have to fight sleepiness, while those who reported working for more than six consecutive days without a rest day were 80% more likely. Drivers receiving short notice of shifts were 60% more likely to have to fight sleepiness, and drivers who experienced variability in start times were 80% more likely.
Two of the strongest predictors of having to fight sleepiness were specifically related to break times at work. Drivers who reported having insufficient time to eat were twice as likely to have to fight sleepiness than those who reported having sufficient time.
Significantly those reported as having not enough time to rest during their break were more than twice as likely (170% more likely) to have to fight sleepiness than those who reported having sufficient time. Also, those who were not provided with somewhere to sit during their breaks were 65% more likely to have to fight sleepiness than those who reported having access to somewhere to sit.
Who is responsible?
The report concludes that there is a need for a shared responsibility. All parties (drivers, managers, operators at all levels, TfL, borough councils, unions, and the Department for Transport (Dft) have a part to play in implementing any proposed solution.
“In order for any solution to be successful, parties must not give up too early” says the report. “There is no quick fix for reducing fatigue and a long-term commitment is needed. With this, it is important to have a step-by-step approach in which small changes are implemented to start with at a level which will be acceptable to all parties.”
Read the full report here
Comment
Driver fatigue is one that is already being addressed by the coach industry. Last year Seeing Machines officially launched its driver monitoring solution to the UK market at Euro Bus Expo.
Guardian is a real-time driver fatigue and distraction detection solution that uses advanced algorithms to detect the driver’s state and provide in-cab alerts to warn the driver if they’re at risk of having an accident. The solution also alerts the depot if signs of distraction or fatigue is detected.
This is out there in the public domain and not to be ignored by other bus operators who would do well to study the report and take on board the recommended solutions. A lot of the principles could also apply to coach drivers. Not everyone wants to sift through a 98-page report but being more aware of the issues that lead to fatigue could save lives in the long run.
