All 21 assembly members in attendance at City Hall unanimously backed a motion to introduce a “Bill of Rights” to protect bus drivers and offer workers more support in heatwave conditions.
On Thursday, Reform UK Assembly Member Keith Prince laid down a motion proposing the measure, which includes a dozen key principles.
It calls for bus drivers to have access to toilets on all bus routes, rest breaks, no forced overtime, the right to report safety concerns without fear of punishment and working air-cooling and heating systems.
Last week London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan promised drivers more support to help them cope with the extreme hot weather.
He told the LDRS that bus drivers who feel their bus is too hot “shouldn’t be driving their buses and they will not be penalised for [not] doing so”.
During London’s heatwave last month, temperatures soared up to 50C in some drivers’ cabs, it was claimed, while many bus drivers worked with faulty air-conditioning and air-cooling systems.
Unite the union has accused one of London’s largest operators, Arriva, of “putting profits before people” and failing to invest in better cooling systems.
It also alleges that Transport for London and Sir Sadiq are not doing enough to protect drivers and continue to put their safety at risk.
Prince said: “We have seen drivers having to drive with their shirts off, drivers that don’t have anywhere to go to the loo. Something needs to be done.”
“While it’s important we are able to get to work and buses run on time, it’s equally important we are not driving these bus drivers to such levels of fatigue that they make human errors.”