Bus drivers fear their health and the safety of passengers is at risk due to faulty air conditioning on many buses
London bus drivers claim their health is at risk due to their vehicles operating during heatwaves without proper air conditioning. Unite the Union said many buses, including newer models, continue to be used despite the cooling system being broken.
This allegedly results in their cabs ‘transforming into greenhouses’, with temperatures often exceeding 40C. Union officials say this lengthened exposure to high temperatures can worsen fatigue, which puts both drivers and passengers at risk.
London could be hit by a record-breaking heatwave this week with the Met Office predicting highs of 39C on Wednesday, June 24 and Friday, June 25. The warm spell will begin on Monday, June 22 and continue throughout the week until the mercury finally drops to 27C on Saturday, June 27.
A Met Office amber weather warning for extreme heat is currently in place in London until 11.59pm on Tuesday, increasing to a red warning for Wednesday and Thursday. Drivers fear these conditions will slow their responses, diminish concentration and increase the chance of fainting at the wheel.
One driver said: “There is poor maintenance of buses. Heating and air conditioning never works, if it does you can’t control to individual needs.”
Another added: “In the hot weather, the cabs can get unbearably hot and stuffy. It is not good for our alertness and health, as well as our customers who are suffering as well.”
These issues are allegedly exacerbated by the lack of access to toilets at either end of bus routes, which leaves some drivers afraid to drink water when they are far from an adequate rest stop. Unite is calling for buses with air conditioning or air cooling systems that don’t work properly to be taken out of service, with drivers able to state this without fearing repercussions from their employer.
Union officials are also pushing for fatigue management with a better protocol for drivers to follow when they’re fatigued due to extreme heat. TfL says that it has a ‘comprehensive hot weather plan in place to protect all staff and customers during the warm weather.’
“For too long London bus drivers have suffered from the effects of high temperatures while TfL and bus companies have failed to act,” Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said. “It is absolutely unacceptable.
“Every year we have the same problem during hot weather and yet no progress is being made to protect workers. This is a serious problem that risks the safety of drivers as well as millions of Londoners. It requires immediate, decisive action, which Unite will not stop fighting for.”
Lorna Murphy, TfL’s Director of Buses, said in response: “Alongside bus operators, we take our bus drivers’ safety and welfare seriously and contracts rightly require operators to meet high standards.
“Our bus operators have a comprehensive hot weather plan in place to protect all staff and customers during the warm weather, including air cooling systems fitted in all driver cabs. If air cooling systems on a vehicle are not functioning and drivers do not feel they can carry out their duties safely, they should contact the controller and action will be taken to support them.
“We encourage any driver with concerns to contact their employer, their union, or the Confidential Incident Reporting & Analysis Service (CIRAS) anonymously.”
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