145 YEARS FOR EQUAL NUMBERS OF MEN AND WOMEN TUBE DRIVERS

12.25.38pm GMT Fri 5th Mar 2004

Number of women Tube drivers far too small

Commenting on the figures revealed by TfL as part of the Capitalwoman conference held at City Hall tomorrow that show that it will take more than 145 years before there is parity between male and female Tube drivers, Liberal Democrat London Mayoral candidate, Simon Hughes MP, said:

"Recruitment of women to work as Tube drivers has almost ground to a halt under TfL and the Mayor. In the last 21 months London Underground has recruited just 18 more female drivers.

"For London Underground to claim that female graduates are swapping jobs from banking and teaching to become Tube drivers masks the fact that fewer than one new women is recruited to drive a Tube train every month.

"At this rate, for women Tube drivers to equal male Tube drivers, London Underground will have to wait more than 145 years. It is time the Mayor and TfL stopped spinning the yarn that they are getting huge amounts of women into driving Tubes and get on with actually recruiting them."

ENDS

According to London Underground in June 2002 there were 176 female Tube drivers, compared 194 now.

Given there are 3,000 tube drivers and nine new ones are recruited each year, it means that to get the 1,306 needed for parity would take 145 years and one month.