13-06-2025
TfL sacks Tube driver for knitting and watching videos at the wheel
A London Underground driver was spotted knitting and watching videos on their phone while operating a train.
The Northern Line driver shocked commuters by appearing distracted at Hendon Central station in February this year.
The driver was later dismissed by Transport for London (TfL) after an investigation.
One witness, who caught the incident on camera, said: 'I was so surprised. I didn't expect to see someone meant to be at work being so casual about the job.
'Especially because, at the time, there were Tube strikes going on, so it felt mad they were complaining about the job then relaxing on it.'
A TfL spokesman said: 'This video was made earlier in the year. We carried out a full investigation and the person involved no longer works at TfL.'
London Underground drivers can earn up to £72,849 a year for a 35-hour week.
Strike action
The Tube has been rocked by strike action in recent years.
Last year, TfL offered Tube drivers a four-day working week that would have come into effect from 2027 in an attempt to help fend off a series of threatened strikes in the run-up to Christmas.
It was rejected by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers.
In return for an extra day off, drivers would have been asked to work the same 35 hours a week they do at present – while retaining their salaries of £72,849 and the generous travel perks that come with it.
Shifts on those four working days would have been lengthened by around 45 minutes, taking them to 8.5 hours on average.
Last year, Tube workers were given a 5 per cent pay rise by Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, that cost the taxpayer £30 million, prompting accusations that he had found a 'magic money tree'.
Underground drivers also enjoy 43 days holiday a year, thanks to a previous deal that saw time spent on shift but not working transferred into extra holidays.
Sir Sadiq's record
Sir Sadiq has presided over more walkouts on the Tube network than the past two London mayors combined, despite promising 'zero strikes' when he first ran for office.
Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone, Sir Sadiq's predecessors and the first two London mayors since the post was created in 2000, oversaw 51 strikes between them over a combined period of 16 years.
Sir Sadiq exceeded that total in March 2022.
