THE article Dangerous Routes Revealed On List (News Shopper, August 9) is sensationalist and misleading.

You suggest these bus routes are dangerous because of the high number of "code red" calls but code red is not a by-word for emergency.

In fact, it is a call made by bus drivers to the London Buses control centre about anything from roadworks, route diversions and calls for help if a passenger is taken ill to more serious incidents which may require police assistance.

Is the number of code reds high? As a proportion of six million people who travel on more than 7,000 buses every day, it is not.

Is it rising? Yes, because we are encouraging drivers to report everything which affects their journey, no matter how small.

Transport for London is not complacent about anti-social behaviour.

CCTV has been installed on every bus and there are now more than 1,200 uniformed officers patrolling the bus network.

Every bus also now has direct radio contact with a 24-hour control room.

The code red system is essential in keeping buses moving as well as providing drivers with the instant backup they sometimes need.

MIKE WESTON
Operations director London Buses