London bus drivers to receive up to £1600 bonus for retention

Around 20,000 London bus drivers would receive a retention payment of up to 1,600 pounds as part of plans to halt rising vacancy rates, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced.

The plan aims to "ensure the capital's transport network continues to be served by a skilled and highly dedicated workforce," said the mayor, as official figures show London bus drivers are most likely to quit job in their first two years in the profession.

Some of London's largest operators even reported a 30 percent average staff turnover within this timeframe, said the mayor in a press release.

According to Khan's plan, whose father was a bus driver, bus drivers will receive a payment of 1,000 pounds after completing two years of service and will be eligible for a further 600 pounds (783 dollars) after their third year.

Drivers who have already completed three years' service when the plan comes into effect in April will be entitled to 1,600 pounds in a single payment, said the mayor.

The move is in addition to new London bus drivers being paid a minimum wage of 25,530 pounds from April. Bus companies claim that Brexit and the weak pound are making it more difficult to recruit drivers from abroad.