Bus drivers told London Bus Forums News that services were suspended because of poor visibility, as TfL’s control centre warned it could not deal with all safety concerns.
Bus services were suspended in parts of west London on Sunday night as thick fog left drivers struggling to see the road ahead, London Bus Forums News has been told.
The disruption was reported on Bath Road in Hounslow West at around 22:30 on Sunday 8 November, where several double-decker buses were brought to a standstill.
TfL’s Surface Control Centre warned at 22:27 on Sunday that high demand was preventing it from responding to all safety concerns raised by drivers amid widespread fog across west and north-west London.
“Due to high call demands we are unable to action all safety concerns relating to these issues,” the control centre said.
Footage shared by west London community page UB1UB2 shows buses lined up along the road, including a route 222 service towards Uxbridge, with people standing nearby as the vehicles’ lights shine through the fog.
Bus operators were advised to introduce diversions or cut journeys short where necessary because of the poor visibility.
The control centre marked the fog and poor visibility alert as cleared at 05:15 on Monday 9 November, although it did not specify when individual bus services resumed.
It remains unclear how many routes were suspended during the disruption.
The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for fog across London and parts of England from 18:00 on Sunday until 11:00 on Monday, warning that visibility could fall to around 50 metres or less in some areas.
In a weather update published on Monday, the forecaster said persistent high pressure and light winds had allowed fog to form and linger.
Forecasters warned of difficult driving conditions and possible delays to bus, rail and air services.
The fog also coincided with worsening air quality across the capital, prompting Mayor Sadiq Khan to issue a high air pollution alert for Tuesday 10 November.
City Hall said dense fog and light winds had allowed pollution to build up over the weekend, with smoke from Bonfire Night and Diwali fireworks, along with wood burning, also likely to have contributed.
Londoners were urged to reduce unnecessary car journeys and avoid unnecessary burning at home as the capital faced its fourth high air pollution alert of the year.
