Red Bus Drivers

Thousands of London drivers have threatened to strike over the Olympics unless they get bonus payments like their tube and rail counterparts.

The Unite union said it had given notice to 21 bus companies in London of its intention to ballot up to 21,000 members in the capital from next week.

It has called for a £500 payment to recognise the “massive increase” in workload during the Games this summer, saying that 800,000 extra passengers are expected to travel on buses.

Unite pointed out that other transport workers, including those on London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railways, Network Rail and Virgin, will receive hundreds of pounds in extra payments during the Olympics.

Tube staff are getting between £850 and several thousands pounds each for longer and changed shifts and many mainline train employees upwards of £500 each.

The union called on London Mayor Boris Johnson to intervene in the dispute to remove the threat of industrial action in the run-up and during the Games.

Unite official Peter Kavanagh said: “Bus workers will be going above and beyond the call of duty to make the Olympics a success.

“They are the only London transport workers not getting an Olympic payment for their extra work.

“The first priority for London’s re-elected mayor must be to demand that bus operators agree a fair award for their workers during the Olympic Games.

“If bus workers take strike action in the run-up to and during the Olympics it will be because Boris Johnson and the bus companies failed in their duty to London.

“Boris Johnson has sat on his hands for almost a year while the bus operators have refused to even talk to Unite about their workers’ extra contribution to the Olympics.

“Bus workers deserve recognition for helping hundreds of thousands of extra passengers during the Olympics and dealing with major congestion on London’s roads.”

Conservative party co-chairman Baroness Warsi said: “Len McCluskey is clearly hell-bent on disrupting our Olympics. I am disappointed that Unite are willing to ruin this national event for everyone.”

Unite made clear that bus strikes “could take place up to and during the Games” if there is no agreement.

In February Len McCluskey, the general secretary of Unite, in February said unions should consider striking during the Olympics, saying: “The attacks that are being launched on public sector workers at the moment are so deep and ideological that the idea the world should arrive in London and have these wonderful Olympic Games as though everything is nice and rosy in the garden is unthinkable.”

The London Olympics 2012 is few days away.It’s very emotional to be part of this wonderful global event where people from around the world come together for the greatest event is human history.
So what do you think about the London Olympics 2012? Have your say

Tube driver’s £61,000 package as “platinum- plated deal.Tube driver’s are well paid more than most civil servant.

For 2012 to be different from previous years, you have to be different. Being different is what makes you unique, it is what makes you compliment others; it is what makes the world full of varieties. Being different does not mean dangerous; that is why it will take maturity to understand and appreciate our differences. Therefore, be yourself and trade your uniqueness.

The profit of the earth is for all. However, it will take responsibility to have your share. For 2012 to be different from previous years, you have to be different. Being different is what makes you unique, it is what makes you compliment others; it is what makes the world full of varieties. Being different does not mean dangerous; that is why it will take maturity to understand and appreciate our differences. Therefore, be yourself and trade your uniqueness.

The race of destiny has started again,where you find yourself at the end of 2012 is a function of the decisions and actions you take from toady.All the best, and happy new year.

Most Motorists agreed that cyclists should share the burden of rising travel costs by paying road tax.

Have your say.

The history of Abellio can be traced back to the creation of Travel London in 2004. After two unsuccessful attempts at breaking into the London bus market, National Express Group bought Connex Bus, an arm of a French transport company. Further expansion in 2005 saw the purchases of the London Bus operations of Tellings-Golden Miller, which came with TGM’s depot in Byfleet operating various Surrey County Council contracts.
Following the acquisitions of the companies, Travel London had a large operating area over Greater London and Surrey. The company operated contracts on behalf of Transport for London (TfL), Surrey County Council, and Kingston University. Operations were split between three registered companies; Travel London Ltd, Travel London (Middlesex) Ltd, and Travel London (West) Ltd. The Surrey routes came under the Travel London (West) division, and were rebranded as Travel Surrey in September 2007.
In May 2009, it was announced that National Express Group had agreed to sell Travel London to NedRailways, a subsidiary of NS Dutch Railways, for a price of £32 million. The sale includes 66 bus routes in total, 36 TfL tendered services in London and 30 Surrey County Council and Kingston University routes. All vehicles and premises used were sold, and all staff transferred to NedRailways.
After initially saying the name wouldn’t change, as all the other National Express bus divisions had rebranded, it was later decided to change the name, because the old names were part of the large and pre-existing National Express brand structure. Therefore, from Friday 30 October 2009, the Abellio name was launched, coinciding with the company’s start of operations on newly won route 407. The Abellio name comes from Abellio, a transport operator in Germany owned by NedRailways.

Abellio london Bus Company draw out a slogan call Abellio New Vision.
Working Together as a team we can achieve New Vision.Get a copy of the company New Vision magazine and have your say at www.redbusdrivers.co.uk/blog

The History of London Red Buses

While you are rarely likely to find a London Bus on netcars.com, they are still one of the Capital’s best known sights and if ownership is out of the question a little admiration from a distance will have to suffice.

When people think of the classic red London Bus they are usually imagining the iconic Routemaster, a model which served for just under 50 years from the mid-1950s until 2005. Despite the fact that this can no longer be seen in mainstream service within the Capital, the Routemaster will always epitomise the character of London.

The Routemaster was shaped by a public transport history which begins in the 19th century. The first buses appeared on the streets of London in 1829, unsurprisingly pulled by horses and radically different from the modern vehicles seen today. Combustion engines finally eclipsed equestrian power by 1911 and for a brief period there were even steam-powered buses operating in the city.

What makes London Red Buses special is the fact that they were specifically created for use in this single city rather than as off-the-shelf copies of vehicles used in other locations around the world. The London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) was responsible for designing and running these buses until the middle of the 20th century.

The colour red was commonly associated with models created as early as 1910, with the LGOC B-type bus adorned with this bright hue and sporting a number of adverts, another feature retained by its modern counterparts. Subsequent launches such as the single-decker Q-Type, first made available for public use in 1932, retained this all-red styling, although green buses such as the 1947 AEC Regent III were not uncommon on the Capital’s streets.

While the Routemaster remains the best known of the London Red Buses, it is no longer in public service. Thankfully you can still find two heritage routes over which working examples still operate, largely to entertain tourists and those interested in enjoying an historic look at the city.

The future of London Red Buses has seemed precarious in recent years. The introduction of the now infamous single-decker “bendy buses”, technically known as articulated buses, offered additional length and increased passenger capacity. They were produced by manufacturers including Mercedes-Benz and seemed set to all but replace their red forebears.

However, a new double-decker bus known as the Future Routemaster is currently in development and should be released at some point in 2012 ahead of the London Olympics. London Mayor Boris Johnson held a competition to design the new bus back in 2008 and two entrants were picked as joint winners. The final design is an amalgamation of both entries, with various changes and refinements having been made over the intervening years.

Asymmetric glass on the exterior gives it somewhat futuristic look and there is little doubt that it will be yet another iconic London Red Bus to consider alongside its historic predecessors. In addition to its visual impact, the Future Routemaster is set to feature improved fuel economy and increased passenger capacities to provide for the influx of travellers during the 2012 Olympics. These objectives are not so radically different from those of LGOC when designing the Routemaster.

Football match cancelled

Did the FA cancelled this match because of fear that England might be beating by Holland or because of Riots in most cities? But the beach volleyball show still went ahead.Have your say

Have your say about recent riots in many uk cities.Was the police right or wrong in shooting the young man dead?Did the police react quickly to prevent looting across most cities?You have the right to say something.