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"There are still nowhere enough toilets available for bus drivers," said Wayne King, National Officer for Passenger Transport at Unite.
King emphasized that employers were failing in their legal responsibility to provide basic sanitation for transport workers.
"It's the employer's responsibility and they're failing miserably," said Wayne King.
Unite emphasized that driver dehydration during hot weather directly poses a potential serious safety risk to the public and staff.
"Drivers are using bottles as toilets, women are using she-pees with bottles," said Wayne King.
The transport union added that these working conditions cause long-term harm to employees with underlying health conditions.
"This has a dramatic impact on women during menstruation and menopause and members with underlying health conditions," said Wayne King.
Unite warned that inadequate facilities jeopardize driver health and passenger safety simultaneously across public transit routes.
"During hot weather, drivers are not hydrating properly because they know there's no toilets available on routes," said Wayne King.
The union reiterated that working without access to basic facilities is an unacceptable operational risk.
"This is a potential serious safety risk on multiple levels and can lead to the development of serious health conditions," said Wayne King.
Unite's road transport division pointed out that lorry drivers continue to face systematic denial of bathroom access at delivery points across the country.
"Despite repeated promises by government and employers, there has been no real improvement in availability of toilets for lorry drivers," said Adrian Jones, National Officer for Road Transport at Unite.
