City Bus Drivers Vote To Strike Over Pay

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Chloe AslettYorkshire


Bus services in Doncaster are because of be interfered with after more than 230 chauffeurs voted to take industrial action over pay.


First Bus drivers in the city will go on strike on 28 and 30 March, and 7, 22 and 24 April after rejecting an offer which did not provide pay parity with colleagues in Sheffield, the Unite union stated.


Unite general secretary Sharon Graham stated the business could manage to pay its motorists in Doncaster the same quantity and was "picking to put profits over people".


Zoe Hands, handling director of First Bus in the area, said the offer of a 7% increase backdated to January 2026 was "amongst the very best chauffeur pay deals this year".


"We are very disappointed and saddened at the choice to go ahead with strikes," she stated, adding that the company "acknowledged the strength of sensation" on the problem.


"We stay committed to working constructively with Union agents to reach a fair and sustainable arrangement," Hands stated.


"Our door remains open to continue discussions and prevent unnecessary industrial action."


'Unfair scenario'


The Unite members associated with the conflict work at the Doncaster Bus Depot on Leger Way, which runs several routes impacting the city centre.


The dates clash with the Easter vacations and events at Doncaster Racecourse consisting of the opener of the British flat racing season, the William Hill Lincoln .


Regional officer Christian Ratcliffe said: "Unite members in Doncaster must not be financially punished for working a few miles down the roadway.


"This unjust scenario can't continue and Unite is requiring First Bus treats its hard-working chauffeurs fairly."


Unite stated FirstGroup was "highly profitable", with revenues of ₤ 833.6 m for the 6 months to September 2025, and could manage to satisfy the strikers' demands.


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