Londoners are bracing for a weekend of travel disruption, with some bus strikes expected to still go ahead across the weekend following disputes over pay.
Bus drivers, engineers and controllers working across 60 bus routes around London were expected to launch strike action between Friday and Sunday this weekend amid discussions over pay and working conditions.
On Wednesday, London United confirmed that its staff had accepted a pay package, meaning that a large part of the scheduled disruption wouldn’t go ahead.
In a statement from First Bus, a spokesperson said: “Our employees are at the heart of everything we do, and the above-inflation offer, which includes full back pay for all colleagues, demonstrates our commitment to supporting our people through the ongoing cost-of-living pressures while balancing the financial challenges we face as a business."
But while some strike action has been called off, it’s understood that some bus services will still be affected across the capital this weekend.
News of the strike action follows after a week of commuting chaos that severely impacted underground lines across the capital.
As we head into the weekend, several train line closures and maintenance work are also scheduled, meaning travellers may have to consider adding extra time to their journeys.
So what bus routes are still impacted?
Bus strikes this weekend
If no agreement is announced, it’s expected that some bus routes around North Finchley, Aldwych, Camden Town and Ladbroke Grove may still be impacted this weekend.
The bus routes in question are: 13/N13, 23/N23, 31/N31, 218, 295/N295 and 452.
Passengers that rely on these services are encouraged to plan their journeys ahead or consider an alternative route to avoid disruption.
There should be a good service on most London Underground routes, which may offer a
Why are bus drivers striking?
Most of this weekend’s planned disruption has actually been called off after some union members reached an agreement over pay.
The strike action was initially brought forward by the Unite union, who had planned the walkout over pay with London United and London Transit (who are owned by First Bus).
According to reports, union members were taking action after changes to pay rises meant that some drivers would lose out on thousands of pounds of back pay.
But after reaching a deal, strikes planned on First Bus services are among those that aren’t going forward, meaning routes will be running as normal this weekend.
Discussions were expected to take place between Unite and London Transit, but it’s unclear whether an agreement has been reached at this point.
