London commuters choose boats and bikes to avoid sweaty journeys amid heatwave
The transport network, especially in southern England, has been severely disrupted as temperatures reached record highs.
Commuters in London have swapped sweaty tube carriages and buses for bikes and boats as an extreme heatwave swelters the capital.
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Figures shared exclusively with LBC show a 60% increase in passengers on Thames Clipper boats over the past two weeks.
The Uber boats, which ferry along the river between Putney in the west and Barking Riverside in the east, have an open deck with seating, giving commuters a breezy journey as they move through the city.
Elsewhere, hire bike company Lime has recorded a 28% increase in users on days this week with temperatures over 30C.
Forest, another e-bike hire company, told LBC that user figures had increased 25%.
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Alex Berwin, head of policy at Forest, said: “We’ve seen a significant increase in demand during the recent hot weather as Londoners turned to cycling to get around the city during the heatwave.
“This increase in rides isn't just a one-off; it's part of a wider shift towards cycling across the capital.”
Commuters in southwest London told LBC of their discomfort while travelling during the heatwave.
One said: “The buses are like living saunas”, while another said: “It’s like you’re a chicken being cooked."
One man was seen drenched in sweat as he left the Northern Line at Battersea Power Station just before 7am.
He told LBC: “Even with a fan, it’s just horrific."
The head of Transport for London, Andy Lord, this week said people should only travel if necessary.
For those who did have to travel, though, he told LBC: “More than 40% of the tube has air conditioning, the Elizabeth Line and London Overground are fully air conditioned.
“We are looking forward to the new Piccadilly Line trains coming in, which will have air conditioning as well - the first in the deep tube.
“We're introducing more buses with air conditioning as well, but it takes time. We're the largest integrated public transport authority in the world. We operate one of the largest underground railways in the world.
“Most of the infrastructure is more than 100 years old, so it takes a lot of money and a lot of time to invest and bring in those new assets.”
The transport network, especially in southern England, has been severely disrupted as temperatures reached record highs.
One London bus driver told us his cab had reached 48C, despite a requirement for cooling systems in all the vehicles.
“The other day, even with working AC, it was so hot in the cabin that I had to park it up in the shade for 20 minutes to cool down,” he said.
"The seat gets covered in sweat, and that can lead to not only a foul smell but also potential bacteria that can cause all sorts of issues.”
He went on to say that the “steering wheel gets too hot to touch, as do the controls in the cab".
Pressed on whether that was acceptable, the London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan told us: “No bus driver should be working in conditions that are not safe for them and that are oppressive.
“Transport for London has made clear to the bus operators that it's unacceptable for any bus to leave a garage where it's not cool enough for the driver or the passengers.”
The mayor released a new Heat Plan for London this week, as he also pushed for maximum temperatures to be set for schools and workplaces.