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Bus strike dates confirmed as 1,500 London drivers walk out over 40C cabs

Published 08:16 24 Aug 2026 BST

Updated 08:16 24 Aug 2026 BST

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Bus strike dates confirmed as 1,500 London drivers walk out over 40C cabs

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Further walkouts planned in Autumn

Tuesday 25 August is when more than 1,500 bus drivers in north London will begin a four-day bus strike.

This comes after rejecting an offer from operator Arriva, in a dispute over cabs the Unite union says can reach 40C and higher during hot weather.

As the Mirror reported on Sunday, further walkouts are planned into late October, which means weeks of disruption for passengers.

According to the drivers, existing cooling systems bring cab temperatures down by only two or three degrees, which leaves them exposed to fatigue, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and dehydration.

What the Unite members at Arriva North London are demanding is that buses are fitted with more effective air conditioning.

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This is a demand that was sharpened by a summer in which the UK has been under amber heat health alerts and readers have been swapping advice on how to keep cool in a UK heatwave.

While action had been paused during negotiations, Unite said on Sunday it would resume after the latest deal failed to win members’ backing.

The drivers that will take part are those based at garages in Barking, Edmonton, Enfield, Grays, Palmers Green, Stamford Hill, Tottenham and Wood Green.

In the meantime, some dates also clash with Piccadilly line closures while its new trains are tested.

Every bus strike date announced

  • August: Tuesday 25 to Friday 28
  • September: Friday 4 to Saturday 5; Monday 7 to Tuesday 8; Friday 18 to Saturday 19; Monday 21 to Tuesday 22
  • October: Friday 2 to Saturday 3; Monday 5 to Tuesday 6; Friday 16 to Saturday 17; Monday 19 to Tuesday 20

Eight days of action are due in September and another eight in October, on weekdays and weekends.

Unless a revised offer is accepted, passengers face a stop-start autumn on the buses.

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