Widow of one of nine bus drivers killed by coronavirus says he and his colleagues were given no protective kit
THE widow of a bus driver killed by coronavirus says he and his colleagues were given no protective kit.
Bishara Maye spoke out after husband Nadir Nur, 48, became one of nine drivers to die in the pandemic — eight in London and one in Bristol.
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She described her husband as a hero but added: “Nadir and his colleagues had no PPE whatsoever.
“Bus drivers are doing their part for the country. We should be protecting them.”
Mr Nur, who worked for HCT Group in North London, was said to have had no underlying problems.
His widow’s call was echoed by relatives of another London bus driver killed by the virus, dad-of-one Emeka Nyack, 36.
His mum, Anne, 62, said: “It’s devastating. These drivers are sent to risk their lives in dirty buses with no protection.”
Meanwhile, Arriva drivers in the capital were told they could be fired for trying to protect themselves.
Some have refused to open the front doors, taped off seats or put clingfilm over holes in their screens.
But in a letter Arriva said: “Any driver seen to be doing this will be dealt with formally.”
It later withdrew the notice.
The widow of another victim, Kenneth Yeboah, 55, an Arriva driver in London, called him a “wonderful father and incredible family man”.
A London bus driver, who didn't want to be named as he feared he would lose his job, said; "Before every shift I go round and disinfect the bus, wiping down the windows, the seats, bells and handles.
"I go through countless packs of wipes, a sweep of a seat can turn a wipe from white to black in an instance.
"I have been lucky enough to have a family member who managed to get his hands on some personal protective equipment, which I use when I'm on shift.
"But Arriva aren't doing much if anything to protect drivers, in my garage, which has dozens people going in and out per day, they don't provide any anti-bacterial wipes or cleaning products.
"Sometimes there can be five drivers a day using the same cab, touching the same wheel and buttons on the dash hundreds of times a day.
"We've had more than enough drivers die already, how many more have to die before they start putting procedures in place?
"Drivers feel invisible at the moment, we're told we're key workers but we don't feel like it."
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan confirmed on Monday that ten TfL workers - including eight bus drivers and a train driver - had died of the disease.
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He said: "I have been clear that our incredible public transport staff - on the buses, tubes trams and trains - are critical workers, making a heroic effort to allow our NHS staff to save more lives.
"But we need to play our part too and they means fewer Londoners using the public transport network.
"Please follow the rules. Stay at home and do not use public transport unless its absolutely unavoidable.”
The Sun says
BRITS are fast learning who keeps the nation on its feet.
And bus drivers, who ferry around NHS staff, are up at the top of the list.
But they are paying too high a price for their service. Nine have now died from coronavirus, leaving behind nine grieving families.
If more deaths are to be avoided, bus companies must pull their socks up NOW. Giving drivers proper protection isn’t hard. And there’s no excuse to force them into unpaid holiday when the Government has made it simple to furlough staff.
Our brave drivers deserve better.
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