Request ID: FOI-0801-2122 Date published: 06 August 2021
You asked
I am making FOI requests for how many people become unwell on the TFL network only on buses, tub services on a hot working day.
As this will be apart of a legal case that i will be bring to hold TFL to account.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-0801-2122
Thank you for your request received on 21 July 2021 asking for information about the effect of the rising temperatures on our customers using the network.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations and our information access policy. I can confirm we do hold the information you require.
We continue to look at ways to improve thermal comfort on bus services and as part of future bus design. Every bus has a reflective roof, insulation and opening windows, while all new double-deck buses have air cooling. TfL's work to make the fleet zero-emission will also mean the engines generate less heat.
London Underground records temperatures across the Underground in order to inform our cooling initiatives. We are investing millions as part of a long-term programme to ensure we can deliver more services, and continue to introduce new trains to meet growing customer numbers whilst providing more comfortable journeys. We have implemented energy efficient solutions on new trains which saves energy and reduces the heat generated. We have also removed heat from our station and tunnel environment by installing new ventilation or cooling solutions.
We are constantly working on new ways to keep the temperature down on the London Underground. There are already air conditioned trains on 40 per cent of the London Underground network and we are determined to do all we can to help make journeys more comfortable on other lines while investing in solutions for the longer term. During periods of hot weather, we advise our customers to ensure they carry water with them when they travel in order to stay hydrated, offer a seat to those who may need it, and, if they feel ill, to contact a member of staff at the next station.
All 56 DLR trains have windows that can be opened in hot weather. New trains are coming in 2023 which will all have air conditioning. 75 per cent of the DLR network is above ground. In addition, all 35 trams have windows that can be opened in hot weather and a third also have air conditioning. 100 per cent of the tram network is above ground. All London Overground and the majority of TfL Rail services are air-conditioned.
Given the extent of the information you are looking for, we are applying Regulation 12(4)(b) as we believe that the request is ‘manifestly unreasonable’ because providing the information you have requested would impose unreasonable costs on us and require an unreasonable diversion of resources.
To answer your current request would take an excessive amount of staff time and resources. There have been over 12,000 incident recorded as ‘medical incidents’ on buses alone from 2016/17 to date, many of which have been recorded simply as ‘passenger ill on bus.’ The recording will often focus on what has happened such as the symptoms of illness rather than cause, as well as any mitigatory actions taken. We would need to manually cross-reference manually logged incidents with days that were especially hot in the weather almanac, this would be a laborious task and may not capture all of the incidents as customers will be affected differently by temperatures and it may take only a small increase for them to be affected.
You may wish to consider narrowing the scope of your request so that we can more easily locate, retrieve and extract the information you are seeking. For example, you may want to limit your request to a particular period of time or mode of transport. However, as mentioned above, it may be difficult to attribute any incidents to a rise in temperature.
The use of this exception is subject to a public interest test, which requires us to consider whether the public interest in applying the exception outweighs the public interest in disclosure. We recognise that the release of information would promote accountability and transparency in public services and may help address your particular concerns about this issue. However, the time it would take to provide the information you have requested would divert a disproportionate amount of our resources from its core functions and on balance we consider that the public interest currently favours the use of the exception.
We will consider your request again, if you are able to narrow its scope so that we can more easily locate, retrieve and extract the information you are seeking.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob Senior FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
