Date: 26 May 2026 at 09:56:39 BST
To: Mayor of London <[email protected]>
From: Kevin Mustafa, Bus Driver Bill of Rights Campaign
CC: TfL Commissioner <[email protected]>, Deputy Mayor for Transport <[email protected]>, TfL Board Members <[email protected]>, Elly Baker AM <[email protected]>, Lorna Murphy - TfL Bus <[email protected]>, Keith Prince AM <[email protected]>, Neil Garratt AM <[email protected]>, Tom Kearney <[email protected]>, Rebecca Williams - ITV, Michael Liebreich, Connor Hand, Workplace Colleague Network <[email protected]>, Emma Best AM <[email protected]>, Sara Brady - ITN, Caroline Russell AM <[email protected]>, Dan Tomlinson MP <[email protected]>, Tom Edwards-BBC, Lorraine Robertson - Bus Driver Activist, Henry Riley, London Travelwatch, Warren Kenny - GMB, Nick Owen - TFL <[email protected]>, Lee Odams - RMT, Susan Hall AM <[email protected]>, Alex Wilson AM <[email protected]>, Sharon Graham - Unite, Eddie Dempsey - RMT
RE: Ongoing Failure to Address Dangerous Heat Conditions on London Buses
Good Morning,
I am writing yet again regarding the ongoing and unacceptable issue of excessive heat and lack of effective air conditioning on London buses.
This is not a new complaint. I, along with many other drivers and passengers, have repeatedly raised this issue since at least 2017 through emails, public discussions, radio appearances, and direct engagement. I have personally raised this matter with you on LBC and have contacted both your office and Transport for London numerous times over several years.
Despite this, little appears to have changed in practice.
Every summer, drivers and passengers are subjected to unbearable temperatures inside buses. Drivers are expected to work long shifts in conditions that would not be tolerated in most other workplaces. Passengers, including elderly people, children, pregnant women, and those with medical conditions, are also being placed at unnecessary risk during periods of high temperatures.
What is especially frustrating is the continued public messaging suggesting the issue is being “addressed” while frontline experience shows otherwise. Announcements about “new buses,” “future upgrades,” or “investment plans” do not help the driver sitting in extreme heat today, nor the passenger trapped on an overheated vehicle now.
This issue has been ongoing for years. By this stage, the repeated assurances without meaningful widespread improvement are becoming impossible to distinguish from avoidance and deflection.
There are several points that require clear answers:
- How many buses operating across London currently have fully functioning and effective air conditioning systems for both drivers and passengers?
- How many complaints regarding overheating and failed air conditioning systems have TfL received since 2020?
London bus drivers are repeatedly told safety is a priority, yet many continue working in conditions that are exhausting, distracting, and potentially dangerous. Heat fatigue directly impacts concentration, alertness, wellbeing, and ultimately public safety.
- What enforceable standards are currently imposed on operators regarding maximum cabin temperatures?
- What immediate measures — not long-term aspirations — are being implemented before this summer to protect drivers and passengers?
- Why has this issue been allowed to continue unresolved year after year despite constant warnings from frontline staff?
This is not simply a comfort issue anymore. It is a workplace welfare issue, a passenger safety issue, and increasingly a public health issue.
I would appreciate a direct response addressing the questions above rather than another generic statement about future investment or climate commitments.
For reference I added below the correspondence I received from Tom Cunnington after I spoke to you on LBC radio in July 2022.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L1T_JzYwVg
We are reporting the issue year on year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCheBW3fVAI
Yours sincerely,
Kevin Mustafa
London Bus Safety Campaigner
Founding Member - Bus Driver Bill of Rights Campaign
From: Cunnington Tom (ST) <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, August 4, 2022 5:24:26 PM
To: Kevin Mustafa
Cc: Bus Ops FOIs & Inquiries <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: Air-Conditioning London Buses
Dear Kevin,
Thank you for your email of 23 July 2022 and for taking the time to pass on your concerns regarding the operation of air conditioning on London buses and our subsequent phone call.
As we discussed I would like to reassure you that bus driver welfare is a priority for Transport for London (TfL), as set out in our recent Bus Action Plan: https://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-action-plan.pdf.
Climate change mitigation is a key area of concern for TfL. We have been working with bus operators to improve the maintenance of the air conditioning system on buses. In addition, when severe hot weather is forecasted, TfL writes to all bus operators instructing them to perform air-conditioning checks on all their buses and to flag any concerns to us.
Following complaints from a bus driver to the Mayor on LBC radio, TfL conducted audits on approximately 10% of the bus fleet – over 850 buses. These inspections checked for air conditioning output and a conditional assessment of the pump/drive belts was performed. These inspections indicated that most of the buses passed the checks, the buses where faults were found were reported to the relevant operators for rectification.
Isolation of the drivers’ cab Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system from the saloon has also been introduced following advice from University College London (UCL) on Covid-19 transmission. As those systems that recirculated air from the vehicle saloon have been modified to fresh air only in some cases the system performance suffered as a result. This was done to give bus drivers a significantly safer work environment during the height of the pandemic.
TfL has also conducted an extensive study, in partnership with UCL, to understand the thermal comfort on buses in a controlled climatic test chamber with a number of passengers on board. From the analysis of the study, several measures have been added to TfL’s Bus Vehicle Specification for new buses including automatic interior temperature control based on ambient/outside temperatures. In addition, TfL have been working with suppliers of drivers’ air conditioning systems and an improved HVAC specification has been incorporated to the latest Bus Vehicle Specification which will significantly improve thermal comfort for drivers.
Bus drivers on all routes in London have access to at least one toilet. TfL has made significant progress since 2018 with 64 new toilets provided for bus drivers. Further work continues, within the available funding, to focus on making sure driver welfare facilities are in good condition, are fit for purpose and have the capacity required to meet the demand of all users.
TfL has agreed with the bus drivers’ union, Unite, and bus operators to use a criterion of no more than 150 minutes round trip time to determine where a toilet at either end of a route is sufficient. This enables TfL to prioritise its limited funds on providing facilities at locations that have the greatest benefit to drivers. Where opportunities arise, such as a third-party development, we will always seek to further improve the number of facilities available.
It is a legal requirement for places of work to provide a supply of drinking water (Regulation 22 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992). Therefore, if you are aware of any bus operator facilities that are not meeting that obligation, I would encourage you to raise it directly with the operating company in the first instance, through Unite or to the Confidential Incident and Reporting Analysis Service (CIRAS).
I hope this helps to address the concerns you raised.
Regards
Tom
Tom Cunnington
Head of Bus Business Development
Transport for London
From: Kevin Mustafa
Sent: 23 July 2022 12:57
To: Cheeseman Louise <[email protected]>, Tom Cunnington - TfL<[email protected]>, Lilli Matson - Chief Safety Officer, Mayor of London <[email protected]>
Cc: Tom Kearney <[email protected]>; Keith Prince <[email protected]>; Neil Garratt <[email protected]>; Nick Rogers AM, Seb Dance - Deputy Mayor, Peter Kavanagh <[email protected]>; Sharon Graham <[email protected]>; Sian Berry - AM <[email protected]>;
RE: Air-Conditioning London Buses
Good Afternoon,
London bus drivers have for many years reported that air-conditioning on TFL buses is failing and does not work.
Operators fail to maintain these systems and or have them switched off/ belts removed. AC increases fuel usage.
are drivers' being overlooked due to fuel costs?
Sadiq Khans been contacted by 2 Bus drivers whilst answering questions on LBC radio. once in July 2018 and again last year in July 2021.
Both drivers have reported this issue yet still one year later nothing's changed the AC still does not work . I have personally tweeted the Mayor on numerous occasions raising AC.
Unite the Union reported on their website in November 2020 that Grayson's Thermal had had been instructed to attend bus garages and carryout upgrades to London's buses to ensure fresh air was drawn from the external of the bus into the cabs . This was advised after the investigation in to Covid-19 carried out by the University College London. 1200 buses required upgrading. They were completed in November 2020.
If this task was put in to place to protect London bus driver from Covid-19, can you explain to me why when drivers needed to turn on the AC in the heat of summer 2021 it did not work? Can you also explain to me why just a week ago when temperatures within London bus cabs reached 44C/ 111.2F AC still does not work?
Covid-19 cases are currently increasing. The alleged upgrades to protect drivers in their cabs is obviously not working can you explain why and will you be requesting Grayson's Thermal refund TFL every penny of pubic money you paid them?
Do you agree that TFL and the Mayors failure to ensure all AC upgrades advised by the UCL allegedly completed were not checked and still do not work?
This In my Opinion breached advice and breached drivers Health and Safety!! I am of course Trained to a very High level in health and safety. I am fully aware those at TFL who make safety critical decisions are not!
The above of course without external fresh air put drivers at risk of Omicron and in January 2021 there was a mass infection across Metroline Travel garages 170 drivers off at once in January at my Potters Bar garage myself included. Metroline lost more drivers to Covid-19 than any other operator.
In my opinion Transport for London have breached bus drivers' safety throughout Covid-19 by not policing face coverings on London buses and what is absolutely clear after Advice from the UCL the upgrades to bus AC were in my opinion a tick box exercise because for at least 8 years AC on London buses hasn't worked.
Unite the Union put a post-up on their website in July 2021 requesting the Mayor carryout an audit on AC at operators across London.
Can you confirm if this actually took place? What were your findings? AC is still not working!!!
London's Bus drivers are Sick, Tired and Fatigued. 25% of bus routes don't have toilet facilities at both ends of their routes to cool down or obtain water.
Driving in a bus cab that is 44C/ 111.2F or in the mid 30s is absolutely unacceptable and it is about time TFL sanctioned Bus operators for not maintaining London's buses appropriately. It is time that Visits were made to garages and buses inspected. Cold buses in the winter and sweat boxes in the summer.
Drivers across London are demanding that the Mayor and TFL get this matter resolved once and for all. We will not back down until you do
Please can you provide me feedback.
Many Thanks
Mr Kevin Mustafa
London Bus activist
Source: https://saferoxfordstreet.blogspot.com/2026/05/re-ongoing-failure-to-address-dangerous.html
Auto-imported from Tom Kearney’s blog.