Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse – it just has!
With the RMT strike days being supplemented by strikes announced by ASLEF, Southern has now announced it will be unable to run any bus replacement services across the Southern network during ASLEF strike days.
The reason for this is that, during RMT strikes, many train services have run because 40% of services don’t have guards/ conductors/ on-board supervisors: additionally, Southern has been able to bring in “contingency” conductors. So that leaves a large but manageable number of services to be operated by replacement buses. However, with train drivers on strike, no trains are able to operate and so Southern say it is impossible to replace all their services by buses.
Meanwhile, with time running short before the first ASLEF strike day on Tuesday, there is the possibility (hope may be more accurate) that strikes may be cancelled so do check with http://www.southernrailway.com/your-journey/strike/aslef-strike/
[Editor's note: We can understand that it might not be possible to replace every train service with a bus on ASLEF strike days, but to use this as an excuse for not even attempting to supply any bus services at all is surely a height of incompetence that even Southern have not reached before.]
Photo: library image
