A bus driver and transport safety campaigner has called for a “national bus driver heat safety taskforce”, claiming that conditions in cabs are unsatisfactory in some instances.
Lee Odams’ comments on his blog came after the UK experienced its warmest ever May temperatures, with a record 35.1C being set at Kew Gardens on 26 May.
He says drivers are reporting cab temperatures of more than 40C and steering wheels which are too hot to touch.
He adds that driver uniforms are inappropriate for warmer weather in some cases.
Mr Odams says an industry taskforce should recommend a maximum cab temperature, mandate functioning cooling systems, employ heatwave operational procedures, improve hydration and welfare facilities, and modernise uniform policy.
The comments follow a statement from Unite the Union last summer in which it said it was issuing all its member drivers with an official letter to show management when conditions become too hot to inform the operator they are stopping work for safety reasons.
Mr Odams cites Transport for London (TfL) as a positive example, noting its commissioner, Andy Lord, saying last year that drivers could refuse to take the bus into service if the air conditioning is not serviceable.
Among new measures to be mandated by TfL’s Bus Safety Standard (BSS) next year is a new type of ventilated seat.
At the launch of phase two of the BSS this month, Chapman Seating demonstrated the innovative new driver seat (pictured) which wicks away warm air through the cushion.
Speaking at that launch, TfL Director of Buses Lorna Murphy says: “We and the operators have hot- and cold-weather policies. Our newest specification has far improved heating and cooling ventilation systems on board in the saloon and for the driver…
“We’ve also improved the auditing of the systems through a third-party supplier, and we make sure that we’re monitoring how operators perform in terms of maintaining systems.
“Also, if [a driver] gets too hot and needs to take a break, that’s absolutely fine, there’s no penalty.”
