Drivers Report Falling Asleep and Overheating in 40C Cabs
London bus drivers claim they are falling asleep at the wheel and suffering heat stress inside cabs that can reach 40°C, putting lives at risk. Drivers have repeatedly called for improvements to working conditions, including faulty air-conditioning, shorter shifts, and better protection from anti-social behaviour. Despite years of complaints, many say Transport for London (TfL) and Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan have failed to address the issues.
John, a South London bus driver with over a decade of experience, described his cab turning into a 'greenhouse' during the late June heatwave. He told MyLondon: 'When it gets to 40C inside those cabs you start to sweat and sweat comes into your eyes. You're not focusing on driving, you're just focusing on trying to remain well. This puts you in danger, along with your passengers and anyone around the bus.'
Faulty Air-Conditioning and 'Air-Cooling' Systems
Unite the union estimates that one in six London buses has faulty air-conditioning, but drivers believe the true figure is much higher. Many buses are equipped with 'air-cooling' systems that TfL classifies as air-conditioned, but drivers say these only blow in warm air from outside. John explained: 'It might only be five degrees cooler inside the cab than outside. So this could make it 35C inside if outside temperatures are 40C.'
The heat affects drivers' concentration and stress levels, leading to potential conflicts with passengers. John added: 'Instead of dealing with a complaint in a nice way, your words might not be the most polite and you might react in a completely different way. This could trigger a response from a passenger which makes things escalate.'
Assaults and Insecure Cabs
Another driver, Dylan Carroll, founder of London Bus Forums, highlighted security concerns. A colleague on the 149 bus was attacked with a hammer by a fare evader in Tottenham, requiring eight months off work and four weeks in hospital. Carroll said: 'He was traumatised by it, and had to take so much time off work because he couldn't sleep. That person should not have been able to get in the cab, and the security wasn't good enough.'
Carroll himself discovered a missing lock on his cab door and had to improvise with his rucksack strap and chair to keep it closed. He said: 'This would give me an extra few more seconds if someone broke in.'
Mayor's Response and 'Bill of Rights'
Earlier this month, all 21 assembly members at City Hall backed a motion calling on the Mayor and TfL to formally support a bus driver 'Bill of Rights'. During the heatwave, Sir Sadiq promised that drivers operating buses with faulty cooling systems could stop driving without penalty. He said: 'Any bus driver that feels their bus is too hot, that is oppressive - they shouldn't be driving their buses and they will not be penalised for doing so.'
He also stated that performance contracts for bus companies would be suspended in such cases, and that 'dodgy buses' with non-opening windows and broken air-conditioning from the previous mayor's tenure had been removed.
Drivers Accused of Coordinated Rest Breaks
Internal messages seen by MyLondon from one bus company accused drivers of taking coordinated rest breaks on hot days to disrupt service, warning that 'deliberately' stopping buses would face disciplinary action. Carroll claimed this showed profiteering: 'They make it out like drivers are taking the piss by taking a rest break at the same time to clog up a route, when really it's the hot time of the day when you probably want to take that break because you feel you're unsafe on the road.'
He added that colleagues had crashed after falling asleep or passing out from heat stress. 'These executives are sitting in air-conditioned offices all day, they don't know what the reality is like.'
TfL and Union Response
Lorna Murphy, TfL's director of buses, said: 'We take the welfare of drivers seriously and require operators to meet our high standards. We are working together on a range of measures to further improve working conditions, health and wellbeing.' She added that reports from drivers are fully investigated and operators should not take action against those raising welfare concerns.
Drivers, however, insist that only formal backing of the 'Bill of Rights' will guarantee lasting improvements to their working conditions.
