Stagecoach Refuses to Provide Toilet Facilities, Forcing Bus Drivers to Urinate in Plastic Bottles
The bus company Stagecoach has informed its drivers in Manchester that if they need to relieve themselves into a bottle, they must ensure they take the bottle with them afterwards. The message, titled ‘Quick Pit Stop Reminder’, was distributed to workers via the company intranet and stated:
“If nature calls while you’re on the go and you have to use a bottle for a quick comfort break (we get it – tight schedules happen), please make sure to take it with you and dispose of it properly. Let’s keep our buses fresh, clean and respectful for everyone – including your fellow drivers.”
The message is not only insulting to staff but also contravenes health and safety laws. Under UK health and safety laws, employers must provide “adequate” toilet facilities for everyone in the workplace. However, UK health and safety laws are not only weak; they are rarely enforced, allowing employers to simply ignore them.
Stagecoach should have cautioned drivers against urinating in bottles and leaving them in cabs—not only because it is unpleasant but also because leaving bottles of urine poses its own health and safety risks. However, such a message would have highlighted the fact that Stagecoach does not provide proper facilities, and where they do exist, the schedules are so tight that they do not allow sufficient time for drivers to take a comfort break, leaving them with no choice but to urinate in bottles.
As one driver remarked: “We have long been pushing for Stagecoach to recognise that the schedules we are working under don’t allow enough time for comfort breaks, but it is focused on running the buses as close to optimum running time as possible rather than improving conditions for us.”
Another driver commented: “If Stagecoach had even the slightest care for the welfare of its staff, it would be making sure there are facilities throughout a route so bottles aren’t needed. Its attitude towards its staff is disgusting.”
The message has caused a lot of anger among staff, as it acknowledges the lack of adequate facilities and highlights overly tight scheduling. This effectively encourages drivers to resort to urinating in bottles as an alternative. The message was especially annoying, as drivers have long urged Stagecoach to recognise the insufficient facilities and the inadequacy of current schedules that fail to allow for necessary comfort breaks.
It’s the same old profits before people.
The message comes as over 1,000 drivers at Stagecoach in Greater Manchester are taking strike action as part of a co-ordinated series of industrial action with other firms in Manchester’s integrated “Bee Network”