London bus strike to cause 48-hour travel chaos after workers reject pay offer

26 March 2022, 11:18

Bus drivers are to stage a 48-hour strike next week
Bus drivers are to stage a 48-hour strike next week. Picture: Alamy

By Megan Hinton

Bus drivers are to stage a 48-hour strike next week after rejecting a pay offer which shows "contempt to a loyal workforce".

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Members of Unite working for Arriva at depots in south London will walk out on Monday.

The drivers operate routes across south and central London and the walkout will affect areas such as Croydon, Thornton Heath, Streatham and Brixton, as well as small parts of Surrey.

Unite said the company initially offered workers a below inflation pay deal of 1.5%, with an improved offer which was rejected.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Arriva's bus drivers are fed up with being taken for granted.

"This is a profitable business that can well afford fair wages, it needs to get real on the pay offer to our members.

"Our members at Arriva will have the union's total support until the company makes a fair offer and this dispute is resolved."

Unite regional officer John Murphy said: "The strike action will inevitably cause considerable disruption, but this dispute is entirely of Arriva's own making.

Read more: Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins' death 'could be drugs-related' police say

Read more: Kremlin hints at retreat as Russian commander 'killed by own troops'

"It has shown its contempt to a loyal workforce by trying to palm them off with an entirely unacceptable offer."

The strikes come after the "pathetic" pay offered to Arriva bus drivers with disruption set to affect at least 31 London bus routes.

It is likely that no service will run on the affected routes.

It is expected that other bus routes and south London roads will be busier from Monday, especially at peak travel times.

TfL urge commuters to use other means of transport on the days of the strikes.

"If possible, use trams, London Overground or National Rail for your journey. Where possible, consider walking or cycling to local destinations, or other transport alternatives", a statement said.

"If you are travelling into central London, use the Tube (Northern, Victoria or Bakerloo lines) or National Rail."

Read more: Rishi Sunak's wife 'gets £12million in dividends' from company still operating in Russia

Read more: Monarchy will 'support' any decisions by Caribbean nations to become republics

Which services are set to be affected?

2 - West Norwood to Marylebone Station

60 - Streatham to Old Coulsdon

137 - Brixton Garage to Marble Arch

157 - Crystal Palace Bus Station to Morden Station

166 - West Croydon to Banstead ( 1 p/h extends to Epsom )

194 - West Croydon to Lower Sydenham

202 - Crystal Palace to Blackheath

249 - Anerley Station to Clapham Common

264 - West Croydon to Tooting St. Georges Hospital

312 - South Croydon to Norwood Junction

405 - Croydon Town Centre to Redhill

412 - Croydon Town Centre to Purley

417 - Crystal Palace to Clapham Common

450 - Crystal Palace to West Croydon Station

466 - Addington Village to Caterham on the Hill

468 - South Croydon to Elephant & Castle

612 - Selsdon Library to The Holt

627 - Worcester Park Station to Woodcote Green

645 - Purley Library to Purley Way / Waddon Road

685 - Tithepit Shaw Lane to Farley RoadN2 - Crystal Palace to Marylebone

N137 - Crystal Palace to Oxford Circus

All routes from Thornton Heath Garage - 64, 198, 250, 255, 289, 689, N250 and 410.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Conjoined twin who shot to fame with sister on The Oprah Winfrey Show marries army veteran in private ceremony

Conjoined twin who shot to fame with sister on The Oprah Winfrey Show marries army veteran in private ceremony

Israel Palestinians UN Security Council

Russia ‘abolishes’ monitoring of sanctions on North Korea with UN veto

Firefighters at the scene of a bus crash in Limpopo

Bus plunges from bridge in South Africa and erupts into flames, killing 45 and leaving child, 8, as lone survivor

Israel Palestinians Britain Aid

UN top court orders Israel to open more land crossings into Gaza

Music-Green Day UN

Green Day to headline UN-backed global climate concert

Exclusive
Starmer has vowed to resurrect Boris Johnson's 'Levelling Up' policy

Failure to ‘level up’ Britain would be ‘catastrophic’, Wes Streeting admits, as Starmer vows to resurrect Johnson policy

Border Force staff will walk out from April 11

Hundreds of Border Force officers at Heathrow Airport to stage four-day strike

Stephen Bear was ordered to pay Ms Harrison £5,000.

Disgraced reality TV star Stephen Bear ordered to pay £27,000 over revenge porn conviction or face nine months in jail

Sam Bankman-Fried

FTX founder Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison for crypto fraud

Exclusive
Covid no excuse for death of Finley Boden who was murdered by drug-addled parents, child protection chief says

Covid no excuse for death of Finley Boden who was murdered by drug-addled parents, child protection chief says

France Valentino

Former Gucci designer Alessandro Michele named Valentino creative director

Know your limits this summer, Brits have been warned

‘Know your limits’: Brits heading to the Euros this summer warned against drinking ‘too much German beer’

Russia Shooting

Russia arrests another suspect in concert hall attack that killed 143

Sam Bankman-Fried has been jailed for 25 years for a $8bn crypto fraud

'Crypto King' Sam Bankman-Fried jailed for 25 years for stealing billions of dollars from his customers

Michael Gove has been urged to 'get on with' passing the rental reforms

Ministers accused of making 'major concessions to landlords' after renters reforms 'watered down'

Supermarket opening times for Easter 2024: Trading hour revealed for Sainsbury's, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Aldi

Supermarket opening times for Easter 2024: Trading hours revealed for Sainsbury's, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Aldi