London bus drivers should refuse to drive a bus during the summer heatwave if the vehicle’s air conditioning is faulty, the capital’s transport chief has said.
A clip of Transport for London commissioner Andy Lord making the comments at a City Hall meeting – after reports of 40C temperatures in drivers’ cabs - has gone viral.
But some bus drivers have complained that they have been threatened with suspension by their bus company if they try to follow Mr Lord’s edict.
Now the GMB union, which represents bus drivers, told members it would support them in any dispute that results from them refusing to drive a bus with faulty air conditioning during “extreme heat”.
Mr Lord, appearing alongside mayor Sir Sadiq Khan at a London Assembly meeting on transport last week, said: “We have been explicit: If any of the air cooling or air conditioning, depending on the model of the bus, is not serviceable, the bus should not be taken into service.
“The driver has a responsibility as well - to refuse to take the bus into service.”
Mr Lord’s clip has been widely shared by drivers on social media and group chats – with some bus bosses removing the clip from internal forums.
Mr Lord had been told by Caroline Russell, a Green member of the London Assembly, that drivers were having to endure temperatures of “up to 40C” in their cabs as a result of the heatwave and were suffering “fatigue, heat stress and dehydration” as a result.
Temperatures are forecast to reach or exceed 30C in London on Thursday and over the next four days.
Mr Lord said it was a requirement for all bus companies operating routes for TfL to ensure their vehicles were in a “serviceable” condition.
He said he was aware of a “few” instances of faulty air conditioning but added: “I think it is a very small number.”
He said he was not aware of any of the 2,000 new zero emission buses having any issues with their air conditioning.
He said that the targets that bus companies were required to hit had been changed to protect driver welfare.
“No bus company is being penalised if there is any impact [on performance targets] due to the hot weather,” Mr Lord said.
Ms Russell said some drivers were concerned that the cooling systems were a “drain on the battery” and that this could mean battery-electric buses would not be able to get to the end of the route without running out of power.
Mr Lord said: “I would hope that every driver would feel able to take the bus out of service particularly if there is an issue with air cooling or air conditioning on them, and we certainly stress that to the bus operators.”
But one bus driver posted on a message thread: “Company I work for have stated any driver that refuses to drive a bus in hot weather because the air conditioning isn’t working will be suspended.”
Ms Russell told The Standard on Thursday: “It’s crucial in this ongoing heatwave that drivers are not punished for refusing to drive a bus with broken air con. Bus drivers, like all workers should be able to do their jobs in reasonable and safe conditions and not be left sweltering in oven-like heat.”
At the meeting last week, Sir Sadiq was told that 16 people had been killed by London buses in the last year. There are concerns that difficult working conditions for drivers contribute to the fatalities.
Neil Garratt, a Tory member of the London Assembly, said it appeared that problems with air conditioning were more widespread than realised.
He told The Standard: “Overheating bus cabs have been a serious road safety and driver welfare risk for years, downplayed by City Hall.
“I'm glad TfL has finally recognised the problem, but the chaos unleashed by the commissioner's innocuous comments undermine those previous claims that most bus AC works fine.
“Unfortunately, drivers still worry they'll be penalised for refusing to drive a bus with unsafe cab temperatures in this heat. That dangerous practice needs to end.”
Last November, hundreds of bus drivers marched to TfL’s headquarters to complain about poor working conditions.
TfL said that all London buses had air cooling systems in the driver’s cab. However, union sources said that while this may be the case, many cooling systems were not working, as maintaining them was not a priority for the privately-run bus firms that operate the capital’s 700 bus routes under contract to TfL.
The GMB said in a statement on Wednesday evening that drivers were within their legal rights under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 “to cease work and remove themselves from a situation which poses a serious and imminent danger to their health and safety”.
The union told members: “If the issue is identified before going into service—for example, during pre-service checks at the garage—you should inform your manager that you cannot take the vehicle out as it is not safe or suitable for service under current weather conditions.
“You should request a replacement bus that has fully functioning air conditioning.
“Importantly, the Commissioner has also made clear that bus companies will not be penalised for lost mileage where such issues are raised, meaning there is no justification for managers or operators to penalise individual drivers for prioritising their health and safety.
“Let’s be absolutely clear: You are not refusing to work—you are exercising your legal right to refuse unsafe work.”
The statement added: “GMB will stand behind any member who follows this clear guidance. We urge all reps and members to support each other, record any incidents where pressure or intimidation is applied, and notify your GMB branch immediately if you experience pushback for taking this stand.
“This is about dignity at work, safe conditions, and respect for the job you do. No driver should be made to suffer in unsafe heat.”
Lorna Murphy, TfL’s director of buses, said in a statement to The Standard on Thursday: “Alongside bus operators, we take our bus drivers’ safety and welfare seriously and contracts rightly require operators to meet high standards. Bus drivers play an essential role in keeping the capital moving and we are working together on a range of measures to improve working conditions, health and wellbeing.
“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. We would like to reassure staff again that any reports from drivers are always fully investigated and our operators should never take action against people raising concerns about welfare. We value all feedback from the thousands of people who work tirelessly to keep London's bus network moving.”
