Antonia Pugh-Thomas, 56, handed in her notice after a meltdown in late June, when her cab hit 43C and she screamed at a controller who asked her to return without a break. The former dressmaker, who joined London's bus network in 2024 after her business closed, said constant fatigue from working 13 consecutive days and driving buses with faulty air conditioning turned her into someone she no longer recognised.
A breaking point on a scorching afternoon
“I was so hot, tired and angry when I finished the route that I freaked out and screamed at my controller down the phone when he asked me to return without a break,” she told MyLondon. “It was 43C inside my cab. I completely lost control.”
After hanging up, she ignored calls, went to Sainsbury's for a cold drink and food, and later apologised to the controller. But she then told all supervisors, “I can't go on like this, I'm not a rude person,” and resigned.
Pressure to drive unsafe buses
Pugh-Thomas believes Mayor Sadiq Khan, Transport for London, and bus operators are at fault for the “daily humiliation” drivers face. Despite the Mayor's assurance that drivers won't be penalised for refusing buses with faulty air-conditioning, she claims managers pressured her to operate unsafe vehicles to keep services running.
Anonymous drivers echoed her concerns, saying managers dismiss safety worries and a “culture of fear” prevents reporting incidents like falling asleep at the wheel from heat fatigue.
Physical toll and systemic neglect
“When you're taking over a bus on a really hot day you'll often find the seats are squidgy with the sweat of the driver before,” Pugh-Thomas said. “Water literally pours onto the floor as you sit down. Everything just feels disgusting.” She added, “I've never experienced headaches like I have in the last two years of driving. A couple of times I've got home and fainted through heat fatigue.”
She fainted twice from heat exhaustion, and despite 40 years in service industries, she's never been as tired as in the past two years.
TfL responds and campaign launches
A TfL spokesperson said: “Bus drivers play an essential role in keeping the capital moving. Alongside bus operators, we take their safety and welfare seriously, and we rightly require operators to meet high standards. Any reports from drivers are always fully investigated, and our operators should never take action against people raising concerns about welfare. We are looking into these reports with Metroline.”
Last week, MyLondon launched the Back Our Bus Drivers campaign, spotlighting inhumane conditions and pushing for solutions on fatigue, safety, toilet facilities, and faulty air conditioning. A wider 'Bill of Rights' has been proposed at City Hall.
