05/02/2015

London Bus Drivers Stage 24-Hour Strike

Bus drivers in London are currently staging a 24-hour strike.

At 00:00 on Wednesday, members of the union Unite walked out.

The dispute is in relation to pay differences between the city's 18 bus companies.

Services throughout the capital have been disrupted as a result of the strike, with Transport for London (TfL) warning commuters to expect "significant disruption" to bus services across the city from 4am on Thursday (5 February), until Friday morning.

However, it added that 49% of the normal bus routes are in service today.

It is understood 44 bus routes are unaffected by the strike. They can be found here.

This is the first of three 24-hour strikes planned by bus drivers this month. The next have been scheduled for 13 and 16 February.

Members of the union want to stop salary differences between companies, where staff wages can vary greatly.

In an open letter to the Evening Standard, TfL described the strike as "totally unnecessary", while Unite has described the organisation as being "wildly optimistic" with its claims of the number of buses running today.

It added that the disruption is "regrettable", but the blame "lies squarely with London's 18 bus companies who have continued to refuse to talk collectively over the last two years."

(JP/CD)

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