Bus drivers in the West Midlands have spoken out about the “horrendous” working conditions they have experienced during heatwaves, which led to 40C temperatures in their cabs.
The UK was hit by high temperatures and dry weather in three successive heatwaves, with temperatures topping 37C last month when the country recorded its hottest ever June day. Last week, the Met Office warned climate extremes were becoming the “new ‘normal’ for the UK”.
Three bus drivers working in the West Midlands said the conditions in their vehicles had been “unbearable” and criticised the absence of adequate air conditioning, which threatened the safety of employees and passengers. The drivers, who did not want to be named, have each worked for National Express for more than 20 years.
“You’re sweating down your back, your face … it’s just been terrible, it’s just been too hot,” one driver said. “Some drivers will carry on and you can see that they’re exhausted. They’re not sleeping at night because of the heat and they’re coming to work the next day, expected to maintain massive concentration driving a 12-tonne vehicle.”
Another driver said of the conditions: “It’s like you’ve wet yourself. Your shirt is wringing wet. We’ve even had passengers pass out on the bus.”
Persistent high temperatures have led to a renewed focus on working conditions for transport workers in the UK and across Europe. Last week, the Green MP Hannah Spencer said she would introduce a bill in parliament to pave the way for a maximum workplace temperature. In June, the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, pledged further support for bus drivers during the heatwaves.
Transforming the UK’s public transport infrastructure is likely to be a key focus for the new prime minister, Andy Burnham, who brought buses in Manchester under local public control as franchises after nearly four decades of a deregulation.
Drivers in the West Midlands said they had been granted additional 30-minute breaks to cope with the heat, but many employees were not aware of this and feared the impact on their pay and delays to the service for passengers.
One driver criticised National Express, which they believed was not taking the concerns of drivers seriously. “I think they’ll only take it seriously if someone passed out at the wheel,” he said.
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Unite, the union representing the drivers working for National Express, said the high temperatures in the driver cabs were compounded by glass windows that trapped heat and created a “greenhouse effect”.
The general secretary of the union, Sharon Graham, said bus drivers had been left “sweltering during heatwaves, risking their own health and that of their passengers”.
“We know that heatwaves are becoming more frequent, but this fact seems to take the bus operators by complete surprise every year. Bus firms must stop putting profits before people and act now. This is a problem that is worsening every year and needs urgent attention to keep people safe,” Graham added.
Unite provided the bus drivers it supports with a letter to show their employers when conditions become too hot, highlighting their legal right to stop work for safety reasons.
The letter states: “To confirm, the reason for my decision is the condition/lack of an adequate, working cooling system on the bus I am being expected to drive in the current extreme heat. I am not refusing to work today.”
A spokesperson for National Express bus service said the recent weather conditions were “unprecedented” and that they would like to “thank all our drivers for keeping the region moving”.
“We recognise that bus driving in the kind of extreme heat experienced recently can be very unpleasant,” the spokesperson said, adding that all of its new electric vehicles have air conditioning.
“Because historically the UK had a mild climate, retrofitting air conditioning in older buses was not cost-effective for the limited number of days it would have been useful. However, if recent weather conditions become the norm, this may need to be reviewed.”
They added: “In the meantime, in addition to providing extra breaks and free water, we are very clear that our drivers must take any precautions necessary to stay hydrated and safe. They are doing a fantastic job in difficult conditions.”
