French bus drivers resort to wearing skirts in scorching heat

Bus drivers in Nantes, France have resorted to wearing skirts to get around the official ban on shorts while on duty in the scorching heat. France has recently been experiencing high temperatures this summer up to 38C this week, reported the country's weather authority while warning people to remain vigilant for dangers and health hazards posed by such hot weather. Bus drivers in western French city Nantes, belonging to the CFDT union, said their uniform was not appropriate for such high temperatures. Saying they envy their women colleagues at moments like these, for whom skirts are an authorised outfit in the company, the male drivers have resorted to wearing skirts too, reported Independent. "This is a form of discrimination. Women drivers can wear skirts, but not the men. In this heatwave, the temperatures are reaching close to 50C behind our windscreens. And given we have no air conditioning on our buses, it’s unbearable." Although the bus company was reported to have introduced lighter summer trousers last year, it however did not move toward allowing shorts as its driver had wanted.