You don’t need to chain yourself to a bus garage. You just need to be human. Next time you board a bus and the driver looks like they’ve just run a marathon, say, “Tough day for it?”
Acknowledgment matters. A little “thank you” goes a long way when someone is stuck in a sweatbox. And if you’re feeling particularly helpful, download the TfL app and report a broken AC. They track these complaints. You become a tiny hero in the war against hot cabs.
Also, if you’re on a double-decker and the top deck feels like a pizza oven, move to the front downstairs. The driver might not get the cool air—but they’ll appreciate not hearing about it from you.
Let’s Give Them a Summer They Deserve
We love our London buses. They’re the red beating heart of this messy, brilliant city. But the heart needs its keepers to be okay. A cool bus driver is a safe bus driver. A happy driver is a driver who stops for you when you’re running.
So, here’s the easy-going request: next time you hop on, imagine you’re Dave. Imagine the heat. Imagine the pressure. And then imagine how good it would feel if someone, somewhere, just fixed the blasted air conditioning. We can do better. For Dave. For all of us.
Stay cool, London. And please—let’s help keep our drivers even cooler.
