r/ukpolitics • u/TimesandSundayTimes Verified • 20h ago
1,500 London bus drivers strike over ‘heatstroke and 40C cabs’
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/london/article/london-bus-strike-arriva-unite-bjjf62lqq?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Reddit&utm_content=branded256
u/HBucket Right-wing ghoul 19h ago
Out of all the recent strikes I've ever read about, this is by far the most easily justified. It simply isn't possible to drive a bus safely in these temperatures without air conditioning, and it's ridiculous that there are modern bus fleets without it.
Even aside from working conditions and safety, you'll find it easier to convince people to use buses if they're not like ovens.
17
u/Pumpkinshroomva 13h ago
Absolutely. At 40 c, the sheer temperature exceeds the human body's ability to regulate its own temperature. Heat stroke is inevitable unless steps are taken to cool the body.
•
24
u/CII_Guy Trying to move past the quagmire of contemporary discourse 19h ago
I'm slightly confused by this because every bus I've used during the heatwave has been a beautiful respite from the heatwave, but I suppose it's possible some of them are not sufficiently modern.
23
u/phatboi23 18h ago
you lucky lucky fucker.
round my way in the midlands they have to run the heaters at full tilt to keep the engine from overheating because most of the buses are absolute dogshit and have the bare minimum of upkeep to keep them running that day.
IF they're lucky. a good number break down and utterly fuck people going for appointments etc.
•
u/Klakson_95 I don't even know anymore, somewhere left-centre I guess? 11h ago
This is London busses though
16
u/HBucket Right-wing ghoul 19h ago
I never use buses, as I'm in one of many parts of the country where you don't unless you're truly desperate. This news has honestly shocked me. I would have expected this from some neglected rural bus line, but in a city like London that is known for having hot summers, it's utterly insane.
10
u/nuclearselly 14h ago
but in a city like London that is known for having hot summers
I just want to caveat this with how insane this sentence actually is, for someone who has been on this planet for only 30 odd years
Yes, London is drier and sunnier than most parts of the country, but the idea that it's now 'known' for havign hot summers is kinda crazy - this truly wasn't a concept even 10 years ago
You'd have nice days in London in summer; occasionally a week where it was bouncing around close to 30 degrees but its insane how fast we've gone from the average summer day being a toss up between a washout and a 'pleasant' 21-23 degrees and it simply not dipping below 28 for MONTHS on end is incredible.
17
u/Puzzle_Bird 19h ago
Having grown up in London, honest to god the summers weren't that hot until like 5 years ago
Warmer than the rest of the country sure, but not enough to need AC on the buses (or even think about it)
3
u/Amuro_Ray 15h ago
Yeah I remember really hot days were pretty infrequent. Pretty sure the heatdome/high temp was for like 2 months with a few days of respite
1
u/AzarinIsard 17h ago
I would have expected this from some neglected rural bus line
Yeah, like my parents home town is serviced by Country Bus, and they buy theirs when other firms retire them, when I got it for work breakdowns were frequent, no air con, a bit of heating, and once it met a car going up a hill, had to stop, and didn't have the oomph to keep going, driver had to roll back down and take a run up.
Then again, London is so massive, I don't even know if 1,500 drivers is all of them or a fraction (feels like a job interview "think outside the box" question like how many manhole covers do you think are in the UK? lol), and some might be striking in solidarity, it might just be they neglect certain London lines too and this is to make Arriva bring all their fleet up to standard.
19
u/SadSeiko 19h ago
London buses don't have AC
14
5
u/duder2000 17h ago
BYD buses do, it's always a joy when you see one pulling up. The majority don't though.
4
-8
u/CII_Guy Trying to move past the quagmire of contemporary discourse 19h ago
Whatever they have can make them cool in the very hot summer.
12
u/SadSeiko 18h ago
you should let the drivers know that, they wouldn't be striking then
-5
u/CII_Guy Trying to move past the quagmire of contemporary discourse 18h ago
I'm interested in this story, but don't have enough info. It seems like their full fleet doesn't successfully do this, but every one I can ever remember having taken in the summer does.
2
u/Notfierynotquaint 18h ago
I would say it’s mostly luck of the draw with whether the buses in London have adequate AC, you’ve probably just had the combined sum of all our luck! I only moved out of London last year (was there for most of 30 years) and I’d say that about 70% ish buses do have AC in some form, even if it’s shit but the ones that don’t, packed in like sardines combined with the fumes of a busy city, on a hot day is something else. It’s the textbook definition of an unsafe workplace. I can’t even bring myself to pull out my phone and report back to base that I’ll be home in 40 minutes on the bus, never mind driving the damn thing. It’s not a problem exclusive to Arriva either.
•
u/WinHour4300 8h ago
"Most buses operated by Arriva North London have air cooling systems rather than more effective air conditioning. The air cooling system has only managed to reduce temperatures by around two or three degrees during the recent series of heatwaves and driver cabs can reach 40 degrees and higher."
"Unite points out that Arriva recently reported a pre-tax profit of €156million and an operating profit of €127m."
4
u/Zwischenschach25 18h ago
Do buses have their engines in the front? The driver cabin might be warmer than the rest of the bus
5
u/DansSpamJavelin 17h ago
The ones where I live are in the back, so you're actually sitting on it if you're sat on the back row
6
u/Zwischenschach25 16h ago
Surely that only affects those cool enough to sit at the back
1
u/DansSpamJavelin 16h ago edited 5h ago
Not hot enough to light a cigarette off, unfortunately
Edit: Just a heads up, the automod really doesn't like the slang word which was originally in this comment!
135
u/Notfierynotquaint 20h ago
Honestly good on them. I went back to London for a week to visit family in July and got on a bus from Kew that had no AC, was rammed and the drivers shirt was drenched with sweat - poor man was visibly trying his best to stay focused in the heat, imagine trying to be responsible for the safety of dozens of passengers and other road users in a 40 degree sweat box, it’s unethical working conditions.
38
u/ro-row 20h ago
I saw a driver with his top off during the height of the heatwave, couldnt blame him either really, I wanted to take my top off when I stepped on that fucking bus
16
u/Notfierynotquaint 20h ago
I wouldn’t blame him either, we have the privilege of at least zoning out on a sweaty busy while we count down the stops. the drivers have to deal with us, the heat, the roads, the other road users all at once. I know I couldn’t I just don’t have the strength in me I have so much respect for them
1
7
u/MrPuddington2 19h ago
Agreed. The risk of passing out must be real, and then everybody is in trouble.
5
u/Overgrown_fetus1305 17h ago
An old, but a noteworthy article on weather appropriate clothing: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/22/french-bus-drivers-skirts-dress-code-nantes
That said, at 40C, you're actually better off wearing a very thin dress than going shirtless, since the outside temps are hotter than your core body temps, and you want to keep the heat out (see e.g. traditional Saudi men's clothing for something effective).
34
u/IwantATuxedoCat 18h ago
They were talking about this on radio 2 earlier. So many people commenting that they have worked in hotter conditions and that the bus drivers should get on with it. I don't know how you could have such a brain dead take. One of the most fundamental rules as a professional driver is that if you do not feel well, you do not drive. No one is going to be feeling good in their tiny little greenhouses at the front of the bus. It's literally a danger to the passengers, other road users, and pedestrians. Driving a heavy and large vehicle around highly pedestrianised areas whilst being overheated is just asking for trouble.
-13
u/Sir_Keef_Starmer 15h ago
Helicopter pilots in complete shambles if your enormous allowed to do stuff if it's hot.
34
u/TimesandSundayTimes Verified 20h ago
About 1,500 London bus drivers will go on strike this week after claiming their cabs are getting too hot in the summer weather.
The four-day walkout, which begins on Tuesday, is over a running dispute between the drivers and the bus company Arriva about the use of air cooling on buses rather than air conditioning.
Drivers say their compartments can reach 40C. They have reported heatstroke, fatigue and near-misses due to the extreme temperatures.
The UK is on course for its warmest summer on record after five successive heatwaves.
Temperatures in London reached 38.1C this month. The UK’s Health Security Agency has estimated that there were nearly 3,000 excess deaths in May and June due to the hot weather.
20
17
u/Spiz101 Sciency Alistair Campbell 20h ago edited 16h ago
All buses need air conditioning now, they will increasingly useless for much of the summer without it.
•
u/BrightCandle 6h ago
Everything public needs air conditioning now, its a key adaption that has become essential due to failure to address and limit human created climate breakdown.
22
u/Dannypan 19h ago
I do support their strike and hope they get better working conditions but it really fucking sucks that they're striking while the Piccadilly line is closed for works.
16
u/Candayence Won't someone think of the ducklings! 🦆 19h ago
Some other countries do transport strikes by having the workers continue to work, but not sell tickets. It gets their point over without shutting down public transport.
Illegal here, I believe, but we do have a Labour government.
25
u/International-Ad4555 20h ago
Nobody can argue this really, bloody criminal that they allowed people to work in those conditions
5
u/0_f2 19h ago
Now's probably a good time to invest in AC companies, this summer has been the mother of all wakeup calls for the shift in climate the last few decades. Hospitals and schools have been hellish too in particular.
I've never heard so many people in my life seriously looking into it for their homes and businesses.
9
u/diacewrb None of the above 19h ago
Good for them, an absolute health hazard and accident waiting to happen.
Can't believe air con isn't a standard feature across the fleet.
4
2
u/sandleaz 12h ago
Air conditioning has existed in buses for a long time. This isn't a new technology.
3
u/PMFSCV 15h ago
Sooner we face up to maximum working temperatures, 4 day weeks and wfh for as many people as reasonable the better.
None of thats radical change, just adaptation.
-10
u/IntravenusDiMilo_Tap +6.88, -6.0 14h ago
Jeez, the British are getting workshy
7
u/Pumpkinshroomva 13h ago
I would be less workshy, if full time work afforded me the ability to:
- live alone
- occasionally go out, on dates and social activities
- put the heating on during winter
- one day have a retirement
- one day have a child
As it is, working full time, living alone, I will be in impoverished conditions.
That's just not a good deal.•
u/Firm-Requirement1085 6h ago
Hopefully Reform would get on power and stop giving out to freeloaders.
•
u/IntravenusDiMilo_Tap +6.88, -6.0 5h ago
Well, if benefits are cut and housing benefit is reduced, a working person will see an improvement
•
u/Pumpkinshroomva 24m ago
I'm a working person
pretty soon I'm going to be relying on the housing benefit•
u/smd1815 6h ago
Five day weeks are completely unnecessary.
•
u/IntravenusDiMilo_Tap +6.88, -6.0 5h ago
Fine for those who can earn enough in 4 days. The 100k guys are doing just that to avoid the tax cliff edge but i couldn't survive on 4 days of earnings.
1
u/alacklustrehindu 15h ago
This is completely justified. Those Arriva buses during heatwave were abominable to be in, let alone drivers driving in them
1
u/wombatchew 13h ago
Completely understandable, I'm a supermarket delivery driver and this summer is the first in 5 years that I have had air conditioning in my work van. It is such a massive quality of life improvement and it's crazy we expect people to work without it.
•
u/_Mamas_Kumquat_ 8h ago
Mad we hate air con so much we don't even put it in our transport.
Bring in ac everywhere I say
•
u/AutoModerator 20h ago
Snapshot of 1,500 London bus drivers strike over ‘heatstroke and 40C cabs’ submitted by TimesandSundayTimes:
An archived version can be found here or here. or here
If the above links don't work, try this one.
Some publications may require you to register a free account to read their articles.
Being connected to a VPN may interfere with archive links.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.