Subsidiaries restructured
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• Three London Buses' subsidiaries are to be restructured, following the recent round of tenders.
From mid-January, London Central will take over the Bexleyheath Garage, currently run by Selkent's Bexleybus operation. It will not comment on the fate of Bexleybus's 260 drivers whose jobs have been at risk since Selkent lost nine of its routes to London Central last month. The Bexleybus name will be dropped.
Metroline Travel is rationa lising its Cricklewood Garage which has lost a lot of work since 1986 and lost out in the round of tenders for Harrow services in August. By late January half the 200 drivers based at Cricklewood will have gone and its bus fleet cut from 73 to 40. Metroline says it 'will avoid driver redundancies through natural wasteage and re-deployment into other London Buses' subsidiaries.
Most of Cricklewood's engineering, administration and management activities will be transferred to the Edgware Garage. Around 30 engineering jobs will go, 30 of CricIdewood's engineers will join Edgeware's 40-strong workshop.
"These plans alter earlier reports which envisaged 130 job losses at Harrow Buses," says Metroline. "Reorganisation of our operations will mean that no garages will close, but staff numbers will fall at all locations. In the next 18 months we must take action to deal with 25% spare capacity we will shortly have."