City Bus Drivers Vote To Strike Over Pay

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Chloe AslettYorkshire


Bus services in Doncaster are due to be disrupted 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 turning down a deal which did not provide pay parity with associates in Sheffield, the Unite union stated.


Unite basic Sharon Graham said the company could manage to pay its drivers in Doncaster the same amount and was "selecting to put profits over individuals".


Zoe Hands, handling director of First Bus in the area, stated the deal of a 7% increase backdated to January 2026 was "amongst the best driver pay offers this year".


"We are very dissatisfied and saddened at the decision to proceed with strikes," she said, adding that the business "recognised the strength of feeling" on the problem.


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


"Our door remains available to continue conversations and avoid unnecessary commercial action."


'Unfair scenario'


The Unite members associated with the conflict work at the Doncaster Bus Depot on Leger Way, which operates a number of paths affecting the city centre.


The dates encounter the Easter vacations and events at Doncaster Racecourse including the opener of the British flat racing season, the William Hill Lincoln Handicap.


Regional officer Christian Ratcliffe stated: "Unite members in Doncaster need to not be economically penalised for working a few miles down the roadway.


"This unreasonable circumstance can't continue and Unite is requiring First Bus treats its hard-working chauffeurs relatively."


Unite said FirstGroup was "highly profitable", with profits of ₤ 833.6 m for the six months to September 2025, and might manage to meet the strikers' needs.


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