London bus cockroach infestation: bugs crawling on seats

One bus driver described his shock as he found the insects crawling “all over the place”, at the back of an Arriva bus.

He stamped on a few, but could not kill all of the vermin.

A video, understood to have been taken at the Arriva Tottenham Bus Garage in Phillip Lane, illustrates part of a wider network issue on London buses, another driver has claimed.

Both drivers asked to remain anonymous when speaking to the paper.

Footage showed cockroaches on a bus seat in Tottenham (Image: Handout)

The issue was first flagged in a story published in January by The Telegraph , which reported that drivers are being asked to use faulty equipment and work on cockroach-infested buses.

At the time, bus operator Arriva claimed that buses are cleaned every single day and Transport for London (TfL) said it encourages any driver to contact their union or TfL directly if they believe their concerns are not being listened to.

But speaking to this paper, one bus driver claims issues have been dismissed and his colleagues are wary of raising complaints out of fear of receiving a warning.

He said: “I have had cockroaches on my buses, climbing up my legs and walking along the windowsill and it’s distracting – I believe it’s dangerous because the driver loses concentration.”

“You feel sick, you feel itchy and on edge. At the end of the day your imagination will go wild,” he added.

Footage showed cockroaches on a bus seat in Tottenham (Image: Handout)

The driver continued: “Buses are not being cleaned correctly across the board, drivers are turning up in the mornings and check it – they are in an extremely poor condition.

“Some are being cleaned, but the overall state of London buses is that they are not being cleaned.”

He said Arriva ensured buses were sterilised each day during the pandemic – but he claims it has taken a “massive step backwards” and standards are now woese than before the pandemic.

The Tottenham bus garage has sparked concerns among colleagues – and it is claimed this has happened multiple times.

The cockroach issue is among a plague of concerns with London buses, including general cleanliness and the lack of appropriate air conditioning or fans on hot summer days.

“We are literally driving buses which should not be on the road,” the driver said.

A spokesperson for Arriva London Bus said: “Our buses are thoroughly cleaned every night and receive regular deep-cleans.

"If a passenger or colleague reports any such issues, buses are taken out of service that day and are treated with specialist equipment. The treatment takes places over multiple days and buses are not returned to service until any issues are addressed.

"We always encourage any colleagues or members of the public to let us know if they see anything concerning, so we can act on any issues raised.”

Tom Cunnington, TfL's head of buses business development, said: “We are committed to working together with operators to provide a clean environment for staff and passengers.

“All buses are cleaned every night before entering service and reports such as these are extremely rare. We take any report seriously and always take appropriate action, including taking buses out of service for inspection, deep cleans and treatment with specialist equipment if necessary. No insects were found on this bus when the video was brought to Arriva’s attention.

"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.”