More than 1,500 London bus drivers are set to walk out next week after rejecting a deal in a dispute over sweltering cab conditions that union officials say can reach 40C and higher.
Unite members at Arriva North London are demanding buses be fitted with more effective air conditioning. Drivers claim temperatures inside cabs can hit 40C and above during heatwaves, while current cooling systems only reduce the temperature by around two or three degrees.
Unite says the conditions have left drivers at risk of heat-related illness, creating an increased danger of fatigue and leading some to suffer health problems including heat exhaustion, heat stroke and dehydration.
Strike dates and garages affected
Four days of strikes will begin on Tuesday, August 25, and continue until Friday, August 28, after members rejected an offer from Arriva. The walkouts had previously been paused while negotiations took place, but Unite announced that industrial action would resume after a deal failed to win the backing of members.
Further strikes are planned until late October, with eight days of action in September and another eight in October, across both weekdays and weekends. Drivers based at garages in Barking, Edmonton, Enfield, Grays, Palmers Green, Stamford Hill, Tottenham and Wood Green will take part.
Disruption and response
Some strike dates clash with planned closures on the Piccadilly line while its new trains are tested during August and September. Industrial action had already taken place on Tuesday and Friday, affecting more than 40 routes and causing major delays and cancellations. Planned strikes on August 19 and 21 were paused as the union and Arriva returned to the negotiating table.
Unite regional officer Steven Stockwell said: “There is still time for Arriva to stop this disruptive action, but it relies on it coming back to the table with a deal our members believe will solve the serious problems with conditions once and for all.”
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “London bus drivers do a vital job, but are putting themselves at risk due to these appalling conditions. Arriva can fully afford to make meaningful changes our members can accept. Until that happens, strike action will continue and our members at Arriva North London will continue to have the full backing of Unite.”
Arriva’s latest figures from mid-2025 showed it had reported a pre-tax profit of €156million (£133m) and an operating profit of €127m (£108m).
Wasim Mohammed, Managing Director, Arriva London, said the company was “disappointed by the outcome of Friday’s ballot”. He added: “This is despite an agreement that resolved every demand raised by the union and was subsequently taken by union officials to all their members across North London.
“Only three of our eight garages rejected the proposals. However, as the ballot was assessed across London North as a whole, the volume of votes cast in two of these garages was sufficient to determine the overall outcome, despite a majority of garages voting in favour.
“This result means that the jointly developed action plan has not yet secured the support required to bring this dispute to a close, and as a result, any further strike action could affect eight London North garages.”
He claimed Arriva remains “keen to resolve this dispute” and called for Unite to come back to the negotiating table to “better understand the concerns that remain among drivers and any additional measures they believe would help address them.” Arriva is also part of an extreme weather taskforce established by Transport for London, in which Mohammed said “meaningful progress is being made” and that he is “confident this will deliver improvements for bus drivers.”
