Why don't we have air conditioning on our public transport?

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KaylinT01@reddit

Costs more to install and run. Also be switched off more than it’s on. One day in the future we probably will have it as standard though

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Anxious-Bottle7468@reddit

It could provide heating when it's cold.

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VooDooBooBooBear@reddit

Public transport already has heating?

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But it can't do cooling? They are saying why not just go for a system that does both as opposed to just one???? Especially given that there's already been plans to shift to all electric buses, they could have just added cooling along with it. If they want people to actually use it a 40° slow stuffy moving box isn't exactly enticing is it

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moikenenga@reddit

put it to rest man lol brits are all for preserving heritage and outdated tech

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InternationalRide5@reddit

Heating on public transport (at least diesel engined stuff) is just running another radiator off the vehicle coolant system. Cooling needs a heat pump which is a whole different technology.

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Outrageous_Shake2926@reddit

A lot of mainline trains have air conditioning. I believe if the carriage has non opening windows it has air conditioning. Think BR mk III coaches, as used for high speed train.

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Vivid_Employment8635@reddit

Because our public transport was designed before climate change fucked our weather up

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IntrepidMaybe8579@reddit

And before everyones lives got way too easy and people complain about everything which is nothing but a minor inconvenience or discomfort 🤷🏼‍♂️

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Virtual_Opinion_8630@reddit

Very progressive

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IntrepidMaybe8579@reddit

Well it certainly wouldn’t benefit out country to give everyone ac its a humongous waste of money its only a comfort not a need, when its hot enough for babies to be at risk then yeah i think we should make it a problem

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ParallelMusic@reddit

Are you slow? Nobody is suggesting ‘giving everyone AC’ it’s more that these transport companies rake in massive profits year on year and yet they don’t want to shell out for air conditioning, something which you might not care about but is a big deal for people like me with health issues exacerbated by this heat. Or the elderly, children, or people unlike yourself who don’t enjoy drilling with sweat for a few hours after paying an extortionate price for a ticket.

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mrdibby@reddit

new ones do, TFL Overground for example does on new trains, but the Victoria Line can't because there's nowhere to safely put the hot air

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Better_Builder_3504@reddit

But the deep level lines are getting new trains with an “air cooling” technology - be interesting to see how effective it is.

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mrdibby@reddit

not on the Victoria line it seems

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1Moment2Acrobatic@reddit

Victoria line trains aren't that old relatively. New Piccadilly line ones being tested replace trains from 1973 and Balerloo trains are from 1972 and over due for replacement.

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Better_Builder_3504@reddit

Oh really? Shame. Good thing about Victoria line is that it covers a lot of ground quickly.

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Evening_Elderberry_9@reddit

Because it costs money in fuel, and that affects profit. Our electric bus fleet has it, but the diesels..not a hope in hell, not even the new ones.

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InternationalRide5@reddit

Electric buses will have a heat pump for winter heating as it's 4x more efficient than a direct electric heating element. So might as well have a heat pump that can also cool.

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Better_Concert1106@reddit

There will be a lot of comments to the effect of “because it would only be needed for a few days a year”. Which is utter nonsense. It’s hot for more than a couple of days a year and air con isn’t just for when it’s absolutely boiling, contrary to what some people here seem to think. Also, my cars air con is on all year round (auto climate control) and is definitely cooling the car for more than that. We just have this weird aversion to it in this country and see it as some wasteful/expensive luxury and it’s such an outdated view. Bonus is air con also heats in winter as it can run as a heat pump.

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nathderbyshire@reddit

I've gotten off buses before because it's just been too sickeningly hot and that's when it was no where near 30° outdoors. It's like everyone forgets it's a big metal box packed with humans that moves slowly

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winteriscoming1014@reddit

Thank you— completely agree. Why do people act too good for AC? I will never understand— you like being completely miserable at night during this heatwave?

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melancholyy-scorpio@reddit

Absolutely. Went to London in October and realised the tube was like travelling in the depths of hell, hated every second of it. My bus is boiling anytime it goes over 20 degrees. My car's air con is always on low. It absolutely wouldn't just be used on the hottest days of the year.

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vibes000111@reddit

Old infrastructure. The Elizabeth Line in London has it, expect newer lines and newer vehicles to have it too.

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Better_Builder_3504@reddit

So does: Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Thameslink and all former Overground lines. (You can get around a lot of London by solely using those lines.) Upgrades trains on the deep level lines, starting with the Piccadilly Line, will have a new air cooling system installed. These trains were due a few years ago - no idea when they will finally arrive.

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Perite@reddit

Piccadilly line testing is pretty active right now. Rollout should start before the end of the year.

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Better_Builder_3504@reddit

If you’re visiting London on a hot day, avoid: Northern, Central, Piccadilly, Bakerloo, Jubilee, Victoria. All cramped, small trains and extremely hot.

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Fudge_is_1337@reddit

Newcastle replaced all its Metro trains recently and the new ones all have AC also. Some teething problems with it, but it's there at least

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Electrical_Trade377@reddit

where i live/commute, almost all of them do

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DameKumquat@reddit

Newer ones do. Give it 50 years for all of them to be replaced. Half of my local trains to Victoria have aircon, plus Thameslink. And a few London buses.

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Rik_Whitaker@reddit

Cos we dont live in a hot country

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markvauxhall@reddit

Average temperatures have been climbing year after year. What's the threshold before people accept that maybe AC is necessary?

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winteriscoming1014@reddit

This is my biggest annoyance. People act like they are too good for ac around here and act like sweating in the house in 30 degree heat is normal.

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Deep_Age_304@reddit

We do. All the trains I use have it and the new electric buses which run in my area also do.

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Appropriate-Falcon75@reddit

From a quick look, it seems that almost every train from the last 30 years, and some older ones, do have air conditioning. Passenger trains are generally expected to last 40 years, so there aren't many that don't. The issue might be due to the age of trains in different areas- the only trains serving London without AC are (I think) the class 465s on South Eastern. There are some older sets (like the LNER IC225 sets), but they were built with air con. Outside London, far more services are run by class 150/156 sets, which didn't have air conditioning when built. These were built in the 1980s, so need to be replaced soon, and their replacements will probably have AC. The subsurface "tube" lines, (the circle, H&C, district and Metropolitan lines) all have AC. The deeper tube lines don't have AC and there are 2 problems. The trains themselves are pretty small, which doesn't leave much room for the equipment, and the heat will just be vented into the tunnels and stations, making them worse. The new trains for the Picadilly line solve the first problem by hanging some carriages between others, which means they have less wheels getting in the way, but the second problem will still be an issue.

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nikhkin@reddit

More modern infrastructure does have it, such as tube lines with new rolling stock and the Elizabeth Line in London. Companies aren't going to buy new vehicles just to get air conditioning, it will be a gradual implementation as the current vehicles reach the end of their operating life.

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QVRedit@reddit

Some of the newer busses and trains now do have Air Conditioning - but there’s still lots of old stock in use which doesn’t have it.

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Watchkeys@reddit

Because it's only too hot for a few days each year. They have heating in the winter, when it's too cold more often. Seriously, we had jackets on and wondered if they were enough 3 days ago. For most of the country it'll be 'just right' after another few days have gone by.

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DestroyAllXLBullies@reddit

That's just outright wrong though You get a full bus/train on even a 15C day and it can be unbearable with all the body heat added.

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Watchkeys@reddit

It's not 'wrong', it's down to perception. The fact that this post has been made on day 2 (or is it 3) of a heatwave tells you that this wasn't a problem for people last week, doesn't it?

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Shot_Net3794@reddit

What's gotten into you?

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Watchkeys@reddit

When people get personal, I block. Bye bye little chap.

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ashyjay@reddit

AC is needed in winter as well, it dries the air and prevents condensation on the windows, it's especially needed if it's raining outside as all those soggy people make buses and trains horrible places to be due to the humidity.

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Watchkeys@reddit

And pretty much all of us spend a fairly short amount of time on them, even if we commute. Things might be 'needed' in the opinion of some people, who struggle, but generally, if it's too hot, it's just too hot, which is uncomfortable, and we get on with it.

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Shot_Net3794@reddit

This is a pretty cringe mentality

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Watchkeys@reddit

It's not a mentality, it's just a collection of facts. But thanks for your judgement.

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IntrepidMaybe8579@reddit

And the opposite is here december is sweating in shorts and flip flops, heating is a waste here besides to protect plumbing for the few days a year its a freeze risk.. makes alot more sense here to just drain your pipes for a couple days then spend thousands on heating same in the uk makes alot more sense to use a fan for a while then spend thousands

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NotMyRealName981@reddit

I'm wary of relying on air conditioning on trains. I've ridden on Intercity 125s and class 158s with failed air conditioning in summer, and it was unpleasant. Maybe more modern trains have more reliable air conditioning. At least primitive trains like Pacers had lots of openable windows.

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Disastrous-Force@reddit

Generally we do now. There are exceptions of course, generally deep underground lines where venting out the heat is problematic. Most new buses will have AC fitted, virtually all main line trains have AC and some underground lines have trains with AC. TfL have a plan to fit AC where possible to all new underground trains. Most regional transport bodies have AC as a mandatory spec item for new bus orders.

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Polar-Snow@reddit

Excuse used be it not hot here often enough to be worth it, that was true and I agree but now times have changed. Most of year is warm now, cold barely around anymore. Last year it didnt get proper cold until December and it only last to February. Not that too long ago it used be cool and cold from September to May. Now it is really time to change and get used idea that warmer and heat be most of year instead and plan/build around it instead of winter which doesnt seem exists anymore. I hate heat and really struggle and I love going Wimbledon whenever I am lucky enough get tickets and it used be reasonable but now it is far too hot and tube is just stupidly far too hot and it making me feel ill and harder for me enjoy day out like I used to. I avoid going out summer much possible and wait cooler weather to do stuff.

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Veinmire@reddit

The new electric buses do.

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sheepandlambs@reddit

Trains often do have it. Same reason we don't have it in our houses. It's useless for most of the year.

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Harvsnova3@reddit

Our trains have it. Doesn't always work in this heat because when a train is at a stand in the sun, the AC has a wobble and the safety devices switch the cooling off. As the windows don't open, you're stuck in a fan assisted oven until someone can get to it. Even at night the coaches are baking hot, I can't imagine commuting for an hour. We do try to get to as many as possible, but the customer has higher priority work to keep us busy, such as a guard being reluctant to remove a label. We walked 1.5 miles for that one. So glad I'm retiring next month.

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QueefInMyKisser@reddit

It’s often not powerful enough on trains

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JamJarre@reddit

We have it on some. Generally the cost isn't worth it for the short period of very hot weather. For some others (e.g. deep Tube lines) there's an engineering challenge as they were built in the 1800s before anyone had thought of AC

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AverycoldGoose@reddit

Was on a bus earlier which did have air conditioning. Wasn’t doing much though because every other passenger had decided to open every window. So many people don’t understand how air conditioning works because they’re not familiar with it.

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evenstevens280@reddit

The two trains and the one bus I was on today all had A/C

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Amazing-Visual-2919@reddit

We do on some.

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wonotice1582@reddit

The electric trains in Scotland have air con, some of the buses too. I dunno about down south but any public transport updated in the last few years tend to have air con up here.

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skkkrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr@reddit

Old trains and stations, expensive to run, how would we vent the heat generated by the air conditioners themselves when old stations can barely vent the natural heat there now. Basically most of our infrastructure is too old/outdated to make it economically viable. New tubes on Piccadilly line will have air conditioning, but the stations are still going to be sweltering.

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Superb_Landscape8734@reddit

Because it’s probably not needed for majority of the year

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apeliott@reddit

I live abroad and we have air conditioning. Maybe public transport in the UK is just a bit outdated for the current climate?

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