Tube drivers are wreaking havoc on the commutes of millions of Londoners today, as they go on strike over the much-delayed return of the night tube. They are refusing to agree to new rosters that would require four nightshift weekends per year, and have threatened more strikes between now and Christmas if they don’t get their way. 

This is all happening despite Sadiq Khan boasting during the mayoralty election that, due to his superior negotiating skills, there would be “zero days of strikes” under his leadership. The bungling mayor has also stalled the reopening of the night tube, which was closed during lockdown, despite the fact that movement restrictions ended months ago. 

The consequence is disruption akin to a blood clot in the beating heart of the UK economy. Just as inner-city activity is beginning to take off, especially on one of the busiest shopping days of the year, they have paralysed the capital’s quickest form of transportation. 

It also endangers young women, who need a safe way to get home after a night out or a late shift, since the night tube is considered by many as a much safer option than walking or getting a bus. 

We should reserve the smallest of violins for these strikes. The annual wage for a full-time Tube driver is £56,500 before bonuses, compared to the London average of £41,000. They also get 43 days holiday per year, a free annual transport pass for themselves and a partner, and retirement at 60 on full pension or reduced pension at 50. 

Not a single daytime Tube driver role has been advertised since 2008, with new spots reserved for existing union members. And while it is true that they often have early starts and late finishes, the role itself is increasingly straightforward. 

The central complaint from the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union is that existing daytime drivers are being asked to start doing evening shifts, even though the agreement between London Underground and train drivers has always had provision for “night duties to be rostered as required by the service”. The drivers are also offered bonuses for taking on these duties.

If they can’t stomach such entirely reasonable provisions, it is probably time to consider the operation of the system. 

Like blacksmiths, office typewriters and lamplighters, the role of a Tube driver has become largely redundant. Most London Underground lines – including the Victoria, Central, Northern, Jubilee, District, Circle, Hammersmith and City and Metropolitan lines – are already partially automated. Drivers simply press a button to close the doors and initiate a machine process that drives from one station and stops at the next. 

Britain pioneered this technology on the Victoria line back in 1967. Now we can go much further. The Docklands Light Railway has operated safely for decades with just an attendant, thanks to Margaret Thatcher’s regeneration of the former London Docklands. 

It’s even possible to operate trains entirely automatically without a person on the train, as is the case in dozens of cities across the world from Santiago to Paris, Barcelona and Hong Kong. Indeed, there are entirely driverless trains operating at Birmingham, Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted airports.

Earlier this year, the Government asked Transport for London to investigate driverless trains with attendants on the Piccadilly and Waterloo & City lines in exchange for a £1.6 billion bailout. That’s because automated trains operate more efficiently and without human error, thereby increasing safety.

There may be large upfront capital investment costs to automate some of the older lines, particularly with the narrow older tunnels. But the likes of the new Crossrail trains can already operate entirely on autopilot. The next generation signalling and rolling stock planned for other lines will provide the same functionality. 

The new Piccadilly line trains, originally meant to be delivered from next year, will even have a removable driver’s cab. Drivers will only be employed to satisfy the demands of trade unions.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of driverless trains would be to reduce the widespread inconvenience and lost economic activity caused by driver strikes, while dampening the power of the militant and openly socialist RMT union. Until then, we can expect continued battles between highly protected workers, holding onto old technologies and working patterns, against the public interest.

Matthew Lesh is the head of research at the Adam Smith Institute