Outhouse near MaHü

Vienna’s bus drivers protest against toilet shortage

"Toilet for everyone, otherwise there'll be riots," was the chant near Vienna's Mariahilferstrasse on Wednesday morning.

(Bild: vida.at)

There is a serious shortage of bus drivers in Vienna's public transport system. The reason for this is the sometimes primitive working conditions, which have now been highlighted with an outhouse near the Westbahnhof station.

"Many employees in the public bus sector don't even have access to toilets during their working hours, let alone sanitary facilities or break rooms," says Thomas Stiller, spokesperson for the bus committee in the vida trade union, explaining the reasons for the protest.

"Disastrous sanitary conditions in some cases"
The activists used the construction of an outhouse as a striking example of their criticism of Verkehrsverbund Ost-Region (VOR). "Sanitary facilities are simply not mentioned in the VOR's 2020 tender for local transport; they are not a criterion. The bus drivers and their human needs fall by the wayside," says Stiller, criticizing the "sometimes disastrous sanitary conditions" due to the lack of toilets.

"VORoasch uns ned" was written on the outhouse. Criticism directed at the Eastern Region Transport Association (VOR).

(Bild: vida.at)

They are calling for longer breaks at the start and end points and more break rooms at the start and end stops. 

Outdoor urination not uncommon
The fact that timetables and routes are designed in such a way that breaks are often not possible also makes the job of bus driver unattractive. Bus drivers often have no other option than to "quickly and illegally relieve themselves outdoors".

(Bild: vida.at)

Climate activists from Fridays for Future and System Change not Climate Change also protested alongside the bus drivers on Wednesday.

Since the beginning of the year, they have been fighting for better working conditions together with the vida trade union in the "We drive together" alliance.