Nearly a year after the promised revamp of the bus system, drivers yesterday refused to drive vehicles that still lack an air-conditioner.
On Sunday, the General Workers’ Union ordered its members not to drive buses without air-conditioning units.
The directive will come to an end only when Arriva makes sure that all buses have the units.
The strike caused delays, as fewer buses had to pick up more passengers, and some commuters said they waited for hours on the bus stop watching full vehicles go by.
The order comes just a few days after the union warned of “serious repercussions” if the company continued to refuse to discuss salaries.
Arriva and GWU will be discussing the drivers’ collective agreement this week.
But drivers are concerned about more issues than just their salaries.
When the Arriva bus fleet was enlarged last year, the Transport Ministry had said the aesthetic and equipment requirements – including air-conditioning – were being put on hold temporarily. However, all specifications were meant to have been met by May.
Drivers who spoke to The Times yesterday said lack of air-conditioning on buses that operate with closed doors was unbearable for passengers in soaring temperatures.
“It’s not the first time passengers are taken ill, or pass out in the heat,” a middle-aged driver said.
Arriva yesterday said 99 per cent of its buses were equipped with air-conditioning units, and the company was installing additional units in the driver’s cabin on all buses. It added that the company’s officials were meeting union representatives to find a solution.
In the meantime, the GWU deplored the company’s attempts to “intimidate” drivers who followed its orders.
The union said drivers were told them they would not be paid for the hours they had refused to work.