London bus drivers have been forced to work in temperatures exceeding 40C and resort to urinating in plastic bottles, prompting criticism of Mayor Sadiq Khan. An investigation by MyLondon revealed the awful working conditions endured by drivers, with 78 buses crashing every day in the capital.
Driver quits over 'horrid' conditions
Antonia Pugh-Thomas ended her two-year career as a driver after becoming fed up with faulty air conditioning during a record-breaking London summer. "I've never been so ill as I've been since becoming a bus driver because my body, my immune system has just collapsed because of the fatigue," she said. "And so my periods of illness have been much more than I would have ever had previously."
Ms Pugh-Thomas added: "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. Water literally pours onto the floor as you sit down. Everything just feels disgusting 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. I've worked in the service industry for 40 years, and I've never been as tired as I've been for the past two years.
"We're treated like machines. It's all about the profit that the private bus operating companies are making, and they're fixing the schedules so that they can get as much out of us as possible."
Culture of fear and lack of toilets
Drivers reported working 13 days in a row without a break and urinating into plastic bottles due to a lack of toilets. MyLondon reported that the whole system is upheld by a "culture of fear" which punishes anyone who speaks out. A driver, who asked to remain anonymous, claimed many colleagues have stopped reporting near misses due to this, as it could see them punished by their employer.
"I recently brushed a pedestrian with my front box as I was moving off from a bus stop," he said. "Okay, it was minor and the pedestrian didn't fall over, but I should have reported that. I haven't been involved in any accidents, but even something as small as this could be serious."
Campaign for a Bill of Rights
Dylan Carroll, founder of London Bus Forums, and dozens of other drivers have launched a campaign to pressure Transport for London (TfL), of which Lord Khan is the Chair, into adding a "Bill of Rights" into its contracts with bus companies. Their two demands relating to air conditioning and heating have now been met, after TfL agreed to fit every bus in the capital with air conditioning. The authority has also vowed to build 53 new toilet blocks.
Campaigners are still calling for the right to a fairer work schedule, proper rest breaks and being able to report safety concerns without fear of retribution.
Khan responds
Lord Khan, whose father was a bus driver, said he wanted to "thank MyLondon for their independent reporting on one of the most important issues, which is how our frontline workers are treated during things like an extreme heatwave". On whether he backs a Bus Driver Bill of Rights, he said: "There should be a Bill of Rights generally for workers. Bus drivers are one of the many categories of frontline workers who are struggling with the current extreme heatwave. And so it's really important to look at all bus drivers, all workers who are suffering because of the extreme heatwave."
Two months later, he said: "We need to evolve and find new ways to help bus drivers rather than having things stuck in stone that could be out of date very soon." The Mayor of London added: "We're going to carry on finding new ways to keep our bus drivers as healthy as possible. 10 years ago, we didn't recognise that temperatures would be north of 35 degrees in cabs, and we do now. So I'm really pleased we're not relying upon a 10-year-old agreement or bill of rights. What we're doing is making sure we listen to our bus drivers, work with trade unions to evolve and find new ways to service our bus drivers. And ultimately, that leads to customers getting a better service as well."
Reform UK London Assembly Member Keith Prince said: "Sadiq Khan's dismissal of firm protections as being 'stuck in stone' is astonishing. My Bus Drivers' Bill of Rights includes proper rest breaks, safe schedules, clean welfare facilities and working air cooling, which was unanimously backed by the whole London Assembly. Drivers deserve proper standards, not another excuse from the Mayor who has had 10 years to ensure Bus Drivers are given the rights they deserve."
TfL said: "Bus drivers play a vital role in ensuring the success of the capital's bus network, enabling millions of people across London to travel sustainably and affordably." It added: "Drivers rightly expect to have the facilities they need to carry out their roles safely and comfortably and we're working closely with Unite and operators on a range of measures to improve welfare. This includes our recent groundbreaking agreement to install modern air conditioning in all bus driver cabs by the end of May 2027. Over the coming weeks, we'll also be installing toilet facilities at the six remaining London bus routes that do not currently have a toilet at either terminus and are providing additional funding to enable the building of 53 more new toilet buildings across the capital over the next three years. We value all feedback from the thousands of people who work tirelessly to keep London's bus network moving and will continue to work closely with them, our operators and Unite to ensure that everyone can work safely and comfortably on our bus network."
