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Bus workers praised following big freeze

192 in the snowWith heavy snow and ice across most of the capital during December, conditions became very difficult, especially for Arriva’s bus drivers.

But since the thaw, Arriva London have received numerous letters of thanks from customers praising the actions of staff.

One customer who wrote in to praise a driver of route 450 said; “The driver did extremely well to get the bus up the hill to Crystal Palace and beyond, even though it took best part of two hours to go the short distance. He kept his cool and kept us moving against the odds.

I didn’t get his name but wanted to thank him for not abandoning us and getting us to our destination.”

Another letter praising the actions of a route 279 driver went on to say: “I found the driver, in difficult conditions, was reading the road well in advance with excellent awareness and anticipation. His braking and acceleration was extremely smooth and the consideration he gave to his passengers getting on and off the bus exceptional.”

Buses in the snowLinda Saunders, Customer Services Manager said: “It’s great to receive feedback from our customers, especially when they go that extra mile. It’s a really difficult time for our staff when it snows so the letters of thanks are really appreciated.”

It wasn’t just the drivers at the sharp end of the conditions, Arriva London’s route controllers and performance managers attended a number of remote locations where buses were having difficulty. In some cases they had to physically dig the snow away and use bags of grit to get the buses moving.

Staff in the garages too played a vital role; Mr Charon Okoronkwo who is a cleaner at Barking Garage spent three hours clearing treacherous black ice from the entrance to the garage so that the buses could get out. He then carried out his usual duties as if it was a normal occurrence.

Published: Tue 26 Jan 2010Modified: Tue 26 Jan 2010Archived: Tue 23 Feb 2010

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