A new task force bringing together Transport for London, Unite and London’s bus operators is to begin meeting amid growing concern over extreme temperatures inside drivers’ cabs.
The move follows years of warnings from bus drivers, the national press and London Assembly members about excessive heat and faulty cooling systems.
THE KEY POINTS
At a glance
- TfL, Unite and London’s bus operators will join the task force
- The first meeting is expected on Monday 13 July
- Meetings are due to take place every fortnight
- Unite wants working air conditioning across the bus fleet
- 206 of 747 buses reportedly failed ventilation checks
Details of the task force were revealed in an ITV News London report broadcast on Friday evening, 10 July in which one driver described working inside a bus cab as being like “sitting in a microwave”.
ITV News said the group would meet for the first time on Monday and continue holding meetings once every fortnight, as the union press for lasting improvements to drivers working conditions.
The development follows repeated reports from London bus drivers who say they have been expected to continue working when air-conditioning systems inside their cabs are not functioning.
One driver, whose identity was protected by ITV News, said he had been told to “carry on” and open the window after reporting that his cab air conditioning was not working.
He said drivers could be offered a short cooling-down break before being expected to return to the same hot bus.
“You’re stepping out of the fire to go back into the same fire,” he told ITV News.
Union calls for working air conditioning
ITV News London political correspondent Carolyn Sim said Unite would use the new task force to call for air conditioning to be fitted and working across London’s bus fleet.
The union is also expected to seek temporary changes to drivers schedules while any necessary repairs or retrofitting work is carried out, so drivers are not required to operate buses considered unsuitable during extreme heat.
Unite called for a task force involving the union, TfL and bus operators in June, following assurances from the Mayor of London that drivers should not continue working when they believe conditions are unsafe.
ITV News said representatives from TfL, the union and all London bus operating companies would take part in the meetings.
More than 200 buses failed ventilation checks
The report also revealed that ventilation systems failed on 206 of the 747 buses inspected, representing more than one in four of the vehicles checked.
Driver-cab air conditioning has been included within TfL’s requirements for new London buses since 2006, although drivers have repeatedly reported systems that are defective, ineffective or unable to cope during periods of extreme heat.
The Mayor of London’s office told ITV News that drivers should contact their controller and stop driving if the cooling system is not functioning and they do not believe they can carry out their duties safely.
It said drivers should face no risk of being penalised for doing so.
TfL said reports made by drivers were fully investigated and that operators should never take action against workers for raising concerns about their welfare.
However, drivers interviewed by ITV News said those assurances did not always reflect what happened inside individual garages and control rooms.
Driver describes cab as a ‘microwave’
The driver featured in the report said excessive heat could leave drivers tired, sweating and struggling to concentrate safely.
Asked to describe the conditions inside the cab, he said:
“Sitting in a microwave, just cooking, boiling away.”
He added that sweat could enter drivers eyes and affect their ability to focus while operating a bus.
ITV News has previously reported on wider concerns about fatigue, welfare facilities and working conditions among London bus drivers. Its reporting led TfL Commissioner Andy Lord to say earlier this year that he was “horrified” by some of the conditions uncovered.
Heat concerns remain among London bus drivers
The creation of the task force represents a potentially significant step, but drivers and Unite have warned that concern over excessive cab temperatures must not disappear when the current hot weather comes to an end.
Meetings are expected to take place fortnightly, with Unite calling for permanent improvements rather than another short-term response to a heatwave.
Tom Kearney, founder of London Bus Watch, said the announcement followed almost a decade of documented warnings about excessive heat and defective cooling systems in London bus cabs. He questioned whether the new task force would lead to meaningful change.
“After nearly a decade of well evidenced reports of this systemic danger from London bus drivers, the London Assembly and the press, please forgive me if I think it is a bit like the captain of the Titanic inviting the crew and shipowners to a meeting on the sinking ship to decide how to rearrange the deckchairs.
“It is clear to me that TfL, the bus operators and Unite are just kicking the can down the road until the heat subsides and the public forgets about it. Until the next heatwave, of course.
“The UK rail, aviation and maritime industries do not get away with this kind of what I think can only be called safety negligence, so why do the Mayor, TfL and Unite the Union appear to give the UK bus industry a free pass on safety and safe working conditions?”
TfL has said drivers should not be penalised for raising welfare concerns and that operators are expected to investigate reports of defective cooling systems.
London Bus Forums News has repeatedly reported concerns from drivers who say defective cooling systems remain in service and that some workers have felt pressured to continue driving despite reporting unsafe temperatures.
The first meeting of the new task force is expected to take place on Monday 13 July.
Drivers can contact London Bus Forums News confidentially at: [email protected]
For more London transport updates, read our latest transport news.
