A SENIOR Croydon politician who earns a six-figure salary from two jobs has called for all Tube drivers to be consigned to the scrapheap.
Steve O' Connell, a Tory councillor and GLA member for Croydon and Sutton, has repeated a previous call where he suggests driverless trains are introduced on the London Underground - a measure he claims would help drive down fares and save £141m a year.
In a letter to the Advertiser, Mr O' Connell said his idea is "common sense" and should happen sooner rather than later.
He wrote: "Driverless Tube trains may not be introduced for at least another 14 years according to an internal TfL document circulated around London's transport bosses.
"Londoners are already safely and happily riding on driverless trains on the DLR. If they're good enough for Paris, Copenhagen, Vancouver, Barcelona and Sao Paulo, there is no reason why they can't be expanded in the capital.
"Accelerating driverless trains on the Underground would cut the huge £141m annual tube driver wage bill. Ultimately, this would help bring down fares for Londoners and pay for vital progress like the 24-hour tube and flexible ticketing for part-time and shift workers.
"I've been advocating this common sense measure since 2010. We need to get on with it, not wait until 2028."
