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London bus strikes involving 1,500 drivers and impacting more than 40 routes have officially been called off. The strikes were over lack of air-conditioning in the vehicles – during the most brutal weeks of summer’s heatwaves, the in-cab temperatures would soar beyond 40C.
Drivers working for Arriva London North were supposed to walk out on eight occasions from September 4 until October 20. They were postponed for a while, but now a deal has been agreed and the industrial action has been completely cancelled. Arriva and Transport for London have confirmed the air con will be fitted into the buses by May 2027. The agreement also says that any vehicle with a defect in their cooling/heating system must be repaired before returning to service, and not reallocated to another driver.
More than 1,500 drivers who are part of the Unite union were supposed to walk out. The action was set to impact more than 40 routes including not just normal London buses but also night buses, school services and Superloops. Here’s everything you need to now about the now-cancelled London bus strikes.
When are London bus drivers going on strike?
The following walk-outs were called but have since been cancelled:
- September 4 (4am) to September 5 (4.30am)
- September 7 (4am) to September 8 (4.30am)
- September 18 (4am) to September 19 (4.30am)
- September 21 (4am) to September 22 (4.30am)
- October 2 (4am) to October 3 (4.30am)
- October 5 (4am) to October 6 (4.30am)
- October 16 (4am) to October 17 (4.30am)
- October 19 (4am) to October 20 (4.30am)
Which bus routes were affected by strikes?
The following services were set to be impacted by walk-outs.
- 19
- 29
- 34
- 38
- 41
- 66
- 67
- 76
- 102
- 121
- 141
- 149
- 150
- 158
- 175
- 191
- 192
- 217
- 221
- 243
- 248
- 254
- 259
- 279
- 307
- 313
- 329
- 341
- 349
- 370
- 375
- 377
- W3
- W4
- W6
School services:
- 616
- 675
Superloop routes:
- SL1
- SL2
Night buses:
- N19
- N29
- N41
- N279
TfL warned that ‘little or no service is expected on affected routes’ on strike dates.
Why were bus drivers planning to go on strike?
Unite said that the dispute was due to Arriva North having ‘failed to act on driver complaints about poor working conditions in hot weather’.
Unite says that current air-cooling systems only manage to reduce in-cab temperatures by ‘around two or three degrees’, arguing that hot weather is both dangerous for drivers – causing heat exhaustion, heat stroke and dehydration – and exacerbates fatigue.
Which London bus garages were affected by the strikes?
Arriva North drivers at the following garages were walking out:
- Barking
- Edmonton
- Enfield
- Grays
- Palmers Green
- Stamford Hill
- Tottenham
- Wood Green
What’s been said about the bus strikes?
Following the agreement, Unite national lead officer Onay Kasab said: ‘This is an excellent win for our members, who stood together on picket lines to fight for and win an agreement that means that drivers are not simply expected to sweat it out.
‘We have secured an agreement with concrete immediate measures, ongoing action to ensure repairs are carried out in a timely fashion and a target for fitting all buses with air conditioning. Unite members have once again shown the value of collective union action.’
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