Bus drivers strike over oven-like cabs in heatwave

Bus cabs get so hot in heatwaves that drivers risk causing fatal crashes and passing out at the wheel, striking drivers have warned.

More than 1,500 Arriva North London bus drivers, from eight garages in north and east London and Essex, are taking two days of industrial action, complaining their cabs often exceed 40C and feel like ovens.

The strikes, planned by Unite the Union for 11 different occasions between now and mid-October, call on Arriva to replace air-cooling systems in cabs with full air conditioning.

Arriva said the wellbeing of staff and customers was its "top priority", and it was working closely with Transport for London (TfL) to ensure the right support was in place.

As the UK endures its fifth heatwave of the summer, drivers have reported falling ill with heatstroke and narrowly avoiding crashes.

Speaking from a picket outside Wood Green bus garage on Friday morning, driver Peter Crane said: "It makes you drowsy.... uncomfortable... you're sweating, you're sticky.

"It's like being in a greenhouse.

"You can't walk out. It's not like an air-conditioned office."

Crane, who has driven for Arriva for 22 years, showed reporters a photo of his cab temperature reading at 44C recently.

"Why can't we have air-con? Why can't we be comfortable and safe?"

Another driver, Peter Skinner, 56, said: "It's very hard... it's exhausting, it's awful.

"How long is it going to be before a driver does pass out on the wheel?

"Think of the carnage of a 14-tonne bus with 80 people in it, that could make a big mess."

About 50 protesters held placards and handed out pamphlets reading "No to heatstroke. Yes to heat strikes" as cars and buses honked horns as they drove by.

Arriva drivers said they had been advised by TfL they had the right to refuse to drive in extreme heat.

However, they said they feared potential sanctions from the bus firm.

Unite the Union regional officer Steve Stockwell said driving conditions this summer had been "some of the worst they've ever been", despite previous warnings to bus operators.

"They need to do something to keep our drivers cool, we need a structure to get air conditioning on all our buses."

Wasim Mohammed, managing director of Arriva London, said: "We have already introduced additional support for drivers during hot weather, including regular breaks and welfare checks – and are continuing to invest in long-term improvements, including upgraded air conditioning systems and new buses coming into our fleet.

"These upgrades are complex and being led by TfL as part of its extreme heat taskforce.

"We urge Unite to come back to the negotiating table and engage with us constructively so we can avoid further disruption."

Several bus routes are expected to be disrupted by a series of strikes between 14 August and 20 October.

Customers are urged to check the TfL website for more information.

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