TfL boss Sir Peter Hendy apologises for calling Southeastern trains s**t and criticising London Bridge chaos
Transport for London (TfL) boss Sir Peter Hendy hit the buffers last week in an embarrassing gaffe when he called train services into London s**t.
It may have cheered commuters to hear some honesty about the commuting situation – particularly the disaster-prone London Bridge served by Southeastern trains – but Hendy has now changed track and apologised for the comments, calling them "unjustified and excessive".
In a rather candid interview with Management Today, Hendy said: "On Southeastern, the trains are like the Wild West. They are s**t, awful. And then every now and then some people who look like the Gestapo get on and fine everyone they can. It doesn’t improve your day, does it?"
Now the transport boss has written to the head of Go Ahead Group which operates Southeastern, saying he knew the company was doing its best to offer a good service.
"If there is a context, the interview was several weeks ago during the worst of the issues at London Bridge.But that's not an excuse. Passion is no excuse for insult. Sorry," Hendy said.