Services buckle in the heatwave

First Bus West of England relaxed its driver uniform rules for the heatwave to allow drivers to work.

Across the country, bus services were suspended as it was acknowledged that bus interiors had become hot enough to become unsafe. Passengers reported on Monday that it was like being in ‘a furnace.’

In a tweet, First Bus West of England advised: “Due to the Amber Weather Warning Alert between Sunday and Tuesday we have relaxed our driver uniform standards to allow them to be more comfortable during the hot weather. If you are travelling please ensure you carry water with you during these hot days.”

Among problems with other public transport systems were Luton airports runways ‘melting’ and rail buckling not only on main line services but on some tram services.

Last Friday, 15 July, Stagecoach announced the suspension on its Sheffield Supertram service for Monday and Tuesday: ‘Safety is our number one priority and due to the impact and risk to both our customers and staff, we feel this decision is necessary to ensure our network can run as smoothly as possible following this spell of unprecedented weather’ said a public statement.