Groundbreaking win on the buses

Arriva bus drivers in London have secured a ground breaking victory to improve their working conditions. This followed walkouts in August and the threat of further strikes in September.

Over 1,500 drivers in London took action over bad conditions while working in the hot weather this summer. Their union, Unite, reached agreement before the strikes planned for September went ahead.

Safer

This victory leads to safer conditions for the drivers and their passengers. And it paves the way for improvements right across the London bus network – to all operators controlled by Transport for London.

When the deal was announced on 9 September, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham described it as a “ground breaking victory” for the whole bus network. It also points the way for many other workers who work in extreme temperatures.

‘High temperatures in cabs… posed risks to drivers, passengers and other road users.’

The bus drivers were demanding proper air conditioning in buses. They were suffering high temperatures in their cabs, sometimes over 40 degrees, during the summer heatwaves. Many had experienced symptoms such as heatstroke, dehydration and dizziness, which posed risks to themselves, their passengers and other road users.

As a result of this successful action, Arriva buses will all be fitted with air conditioning by summer 2027. The agreement also stipulates that any vehicle with a defect on the cooling system must be repaired before returning to service.

Improvements

Cabs will also be fitted with UV protective film to reduce the risk of skin cancer. Significantly the agreement has also led to improvements in cold weather working. Previously when a bus heating system failed, drivers were expected to continue for at least an hour. This is now been reduced to 35 minutes.

Two days after the announcement of the Arriva victory, the London Mayor told the unions that Transport for London will install air conditioning across all of its bus network by 2027. The lesson surely needs to be shared across many other sectors of the workforce – do not put up with unsafe conditions.