Tube Driver Who Makes £61218

According to new figures released by Transport for London (TfL), the highest paid driver for the Tube gets an annual pay package worth £61,218. The figure includes basic pay, free travel and overtime to total as much as what some senior NHS managers and deputy head teachers make. TfL chiefs have refused to identify the driver who is paid the most.

The London Underground is one of the world’s busiest metros and is mainly made up of six deep rail lines and four sub-surface cut-and-cover rail lines. It carries over one billion passengers every year and is set to be put to the test this summer, when the Olympics are hosted in London and are anticipated to bring an estimated 20% rise in passenger numbers.

The numbers about annual pay were revealed under Freedom of Information laws and show that the basic salary for Tube drivers is a high £42,424. However, they can earn a £250 customer service bonus that all staff are paid in full depending on how satisfied passengers are. The free travel perk also includes a spouse or partner and is worth over £4,000 per year. Additionally, overtime totals some £1,360 and employer pension contributions add another £13,151.

However, these figures were paid to Tube drivers before union leaders forced a four-year deal to raise pay by more than inflation, bringing the basic pay for train drivers to £52,000 by 2015. The deal includes one of the most advantageous pensions contributions in the private sector at more than 30%.

MP Kwasi Kwarteng, a Conservative member of the Commons transport committee, has slammed the pension deals, calling them “plantimum-plated”. Many regular commuters travelling to London will be shocked about some of these payouts, he added. This was echoed by Conservative MP Dominic Raab, who says that passengers in the capital who are struggling will be astounded to discover that they are subsidising pensions that are excessive compared to the vast majority of the private sector.

London Assembly Tory group leader James Cleverly agreed as well, telling reporters that the fact more than £61,000 a year can be earned by a Tube driver shows how much more the hard pressed taxpayer will be saving the sooner driverless technology is implemented on the London Underground. Tube drivers are very well paid for their work, but the unions have held passengers in the capital at ransom for higher pay. These figures demonstrate how unreasonable their demands are, he added.

However, London Underground network services director Nigel Holness says the pay isn’t excessive. Tube drivers earned around £44,545 a year as a fixed salary, plus benefits. This is comparable to other major rail operators in the UK and indicates the skilled and pressured nature of the work, as well as the unsociable hours that have to be scheduled often. The employees’ salaries don’t include employer pension contributions. Additionally, the cost of free travel to staff and a spouse or partner on TfL services is relatively nothing, as most of this travel is work releated.