Labour councillor Katherine Dunne has welcomed a landmark agreement to install air conditioning in every London bus driver’s cab by next summer, following months of concern over dangerously high temperatures during heatwaves.
Transport for London and the capital’s bus operators have agreed that all driver cabs will be fitted with air conditioning by May 2027, after more than 1,500 Arriva North London drivers took strike action over working conditions during this summer’s extreme heat.
Unite had warned that temperatures inside some bus cabs were reaching as high as 50C on the hottest days, arguing that existing air-cooling systems were not adequate to protect drivers.
Responding to the agreement, Dunne said:
“Good news for London bus drivers. Well done to everyone who took action to make this happen.”
She added:
“With ever hotter summers, cooling for passengers will be needed on all public transport too. Making sure that drivers are healthy and safe is a good first step.”
Khan hails ‘historic agreement’
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan also welcomed the deal, describing it as a major improvement in working conditions for the thousands of drivers who keep the capital moving.
He said he was “very pleased” TfL had reached what he called a “ground-breaking agreement” to provide air conditioning in every bus cab, as reported more widely.
Khan said the issue was personal to him because of the crucial role bus drivers play across London and thanked staff for continuing to work during an unusually hot summer.
Existing cooling systems under pressure
TfL has said all buses already have measures including reflective roofs, insulation and opening windows, while double-deck buses have air cooling on their upper decks. Newer vehicles are being built with significantly improved air-conditioning systems.
But this year’s heatwaves exposed shortcomings in the existing arrangements, particularly in older driver cabs.
TfL has also confirmed that operators have hot-weather plans and are expected to carry out air-conditioning and cooling checks as summer approaches. During periods of extreme heat, TfL can relax performance rules so operators can prioritise driver welfare.
Dunne calls for passengers to benefit too
Dunne’s intervention goes further than welcoming the improvements for drivers.
She argued that, as London experiences increasingly hot summers, the city will also have to address temperatures faced by passengers across buses and the wider public transport network.
That raises a broader question about how London’s transport infrastructure adapts to climate change, particularly on older buses, Underground lines and stations that were not designed for sustained periods of extreme heat.
For Dunne, fitting proper air conditioning for bus drivers is an important and overdue step — but she argues it should also mark the beginning of a wider effort to make London’s public transport safer and more comfortable as temperatures rise.
