Andrew Cooper from Unite leads the march down Hampstead Road [Simon Lamrock]

BUS cuts campaigners stopped traffic as they marched the route of the 24 from Mornington Crescent to Trafalgar Square.

The New Journal joined the protest on Saturday that was called by the Unite union against potential changes to bus services that could kill off 16 popular routes including the 31 and 24.

It comes as bus drivers demanding pay increases ballot for strike action. Andrew Cooper, from Unite, said: “This is for everyone, the disabled, the youngsters, the olds, for everyone. It’s the lifeblood of London. They take you to the shops, to hospital appointments, to see family and friends. We must stand up and fight for them.”

Dozens of passengers, bus drivers and union members joined the protest against cuts that City Hall says are necessary due to funding problems caused by the pandemic. It is in talks with a Department for Transport which seems unwilling to agree a long-term solution.

Demonstrators were told that industrial action could take place if the cuts aren’t cancelled. There is also concern about a lack of pay for drivers earning a few pounds less per shift than other companies.

Bus drivers running services northbound past the protest beeped their horns and punched the air in support. Groups waving flags and banners, chanting and marching in support included Camden Trades Council, Camden Unison, Extinction Rebellion and the National Shop Steward Network.

Labour parties in Islington and Camden were also represented.

Michael Speller, a bus driver for 22 years including two years on the 24 route said: “It’s really nice to see how much support there is for this route.”

A Unite rep, he added: “A lot of people have come to support us today from other areas too, which means a lot.”

Organiser Jim Hart from Unite previously said that the 24 bus route should be preserved.

He said: “We’re really pleased with how the march went today, we just need TfL to listen to us and stop these cuts immediately.”

Protesters show their support for a passing 24 service

In a message of support to the rally, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “We will not stand by and let bus operators, transport authorities, mayors and central government point the finger at each other while services are being decimated. Bus operators are making massive profits and money is there. Be in no doubt, if these marches are not effective, industrial action will come.”

Drivers in bus garages at Wood Green, Holloway and King’s Cross that provides Metroline-run services for Camden voted against a pay offer and will now be balloted for strike action.

24 bus fan and retired GP Rosalind Church, who used to live in Pimlico at the Westminster end of the route, said: “It’s the younger people and school routes I am most worried about. Disruption to them will have a bigger impact.”

Her friend, Jane, who lives in the Churchill Gardens Estate said: “I’ve lived up and down the route all my life, and used it all the time. It’s a great bus route. I can’t see why they are doing this.”

Geoff Hobbs, director of public transport service planning at TfL, said: “The pandemic has had a devastating impact on TfL’s finances, requiring government support to keep public transport in London operating. The government set a number of conditions before it would provide emergency funding, including reducing the extent of our bus network.”

A consultation on the changes has closed.

If you haven’t got a computer…

PEOPLE without computers are being excluded from having a say on the bus cuts, one woman told the New Journal as she marched to Trafalgar Square on Saturday.

Yvonne Smith, who lives in Highgate, said she was not aware of the consultation, rally or march until she read coverage in this newspaper. “I don’t use a computer and that’s what it all seems geared towards now,” she said.

“If you have got one, that’s fine, but otherwise you are the last to know and the last to be asked your opinion.

“We know that the new 214 service out of Highgate will have less wheelchair space, so if you fall in both camps, then you are even more cut out of it.”

The 214 service that currently runs between Highgate Village and Moorgate will instead terminate at Pimlico, if the changes go ahead after Transport for London’s consultation.

TfL told the New Journal that they ran a four-week media campaign with radio adverts and bus stop posters. Members of the public could respond over the phone, with paper forms available on request.

A spokesperson added that there should be enough wheelchair spaces, and that drivers would occasionally ask for buggies to be moved.