Coronavirus: Dozens of London bus staff died from Covid-19

A total of 105 TfL staff and bus drivers are known to have died from Covid-19

More than 100 London bus and Tube workers are known to have died from Covid-19, new figures show.

Of those who died from the virus, 75 worked on London buses, while 23 worked on the Tube network.

The majority were people belonging to ethnic minorities and only five were women, Transport for London (TfL) said.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said TfL had "put in place a range of additional support for families and colleagues where there has been a bereavement".

TfL said a permanent memorial would be completed later this year to "help pay tribute to the critical role transport workers played during the global pandemic".

A spokesman added: "Every death in service is taken very seriously by TfL."

Mr Khan said that as of 10 May, a total of 105 TfL staff and its partner organisations, such as bus operators, cleaning and security contractors, had passed away in service due to Covid-19 related illnesses.

Out of that total figure, 27 workers had an Asian background and 33 were described as being of black ethnicity.

It added that 28 employees were of white origin.

Measures introduced to protect bus drivers included stopping passengers boarding through the front doors

TfL said there was no available information on the ethnicity of 16 deaths, while one had dual heritage.

Two employees who died from coronavirus worked for TfL's head office, the figures show.

Details were released as part of an answer to a Mayor's Question from Conservative member Keith Prince.

In his answer Mr Khan said: "The deaths in service of any transport workers are treated with the utmost importance and sensitivity, every death in service is taken very seriously by TfL.

"TfL has worked alongside third-party colleagues to have a robust way of recording deaths in service and support has also been in place for colleagues at our third-party operators."

As part of a series of measures to stop the spread of coronavirus in the capital in March 2020, people were stopped from boarding at the front of buses.

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Protective screens were also installed around drivers.

In 2020, a study by University College London (UCL) found that an earlier lockdown would "likely have saved" the lives of London bus drivers who died with coronavirus.

UCL was asked by TfL to investigate the high death rate of London bus workers.

It concluded that many of the protections were introduced too late and "after most of the drivers who died had become infected".

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