London’s buses are infested with cockroaches according to drivers, with staff claiming at least two south London routes are infested.
According to a post on the London Bus Forum, the worst affected routes are the 159 from Streatham to Oxford Circus, the 345 from Peckham to South Kensington and the 55 from Walthamstow to Oxford Circus.
One driver on the 159 route told the site: “I went to take a sip from my drink and felt something in my mouth. I spat it out and saw it was a cockroach. I felt sick and ended up vomiting.”
Photos on the site also appear to show cockroaches nestled between the seats of a 345 bus.
One shocking video seen by the BBC, filmed on 8 October, apparently showed cockroaches in a driver’s food container in the rest area.
A driver told the London Bus forum that the current work environment was “unsafe”: “We’re expected to rest and eat on these buses during breaks. It’s unhygienic and degrading.”
Drivers on the routes, they claim are affected, are calling on TFL to deep clean the vehicles, implement stricter pest control measures in garages and suspend the buses until fully cleared.
London’s buses are operated by private companies who receive contracts from Transport for London (TfL).
A spokesperson for TfL told the BBC they were “urgently investigating the specific incidents that have been raised.”
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A TfL spokesperson said: “We are committed to working together with operators to provide a clean environment for staff and customers.
“Most TfL welfare facilities are cleaned multiple times a day, and at a minimum daily, to maintain hygiene and safety standards. All buses are also cleaned every night before entering service and reports such as these are rare.
“We take any report seriously and are urgently investigating the specific incidents that have been raised.
“As with any reports, we will take appropriate action as part of the investigation, which can include taking buses out of service for inspection, deep cleans and treatment with specialist equipment if necessary.
“We would like to reassure staff that our operators would never take action against people raising concerns about welfare or safety and encourage any driver with concerns to contact their employer, their union, or contact us directly.”
