Passengers in the capital can expect to face travel disruption with bus strikes called over the coming weeks.
More than 350 west London bus drivers and engineers will begin their walkout from Friday (November 10), Unite has said.
The workers employed by London Transit, which is owned by French-company RATP (the Parisian Autonomous Transport Administration), will be striking between November and December.
Find out below when the drivers are striking and which routes are affected.
Why are bus drivers going on strike?
Workers will be striking in a bid for higher pay, which comes after their rejection of a 6.8 per cent offer. Frustration is over workers taking seven years to reach the full rate of pay compared to it taking three years at other companies.
Decisions to strike also follow the company's attempt to reduce terms and conditions, including its axing of a £500 meal-relief payment.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “RATP is a massive multinational company. It can absolutely afford to table an acceptable pay increase and does not to need to attack workers’ terms and conditions.
“Unite is totally focused on defending and improving our members’ jobs, pay, and conditions. The workers at RATP have their union’s total backing during these strikes.”
When are the bus strikes?
Strikes have been called for six non-consecutive days across November and December starting from this Friday. They have been called on:
- Friday, November 10
- Monday, November 13
- Friday, December 1
- Monday, December 4
- Friday, December 22
- Saturday, December 23
It has been said that industrial action will escalate if the dispute is not resolved.
Which bus routes are affected by the walkout?
The workers are based at Westbourne Park Garage so strikes will impact eight routes. These include 13, 23, 28, 218, 295, 414, 452, and N28.
However, passengers have been assured there are other routes available, as TfL suggested travellers should consider alternative transport such as the London Underground, London Overground, Elizabeth line, National Rail services, or walking and cycling. People are advised to use the TfL Go app ahead of planning journeys.
Louise Cheeseman, Transport for London's director of buses, said: "If this action goes ahead, there will still be travel options for people in west London and other parts of the capital.
"We encourage both parties to find a solution to this dispute to avoid disruption to Londoners. We're sorry for any disruption to people's journeys."
Unite regional officer Michelle Braveboy stressed: “Strike action will inevitably cause disruption to passengers but this is entirely the fault of London Transit and RATP’s management. They have had every opportunity to resolve this dispute but have failed to do so.”
