Nearly 1,000 Bus Drivers Striking for Ten Days
Employees of Abellio taking industrial action in pay dispute
Abellio buses. Picture: Unite
Nearly 1,000 bus drivers employed by Abellio are planning to strike for ten days before the end of the year in a dispute over pay.
The company has depots across west and south west London and many local routes will be affected by the strikes which, on some days are likely to coincide with industrial action on other forms of public transport.
Industrial action will begin on Tuesday 22 November and drivers will also strike on the 25, 26 of this month. They will be followed by further strikes on 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 16 and 17 December.
The bus drivers are based at garages in Battersea, Beddington, Hayes, Southall, Twickenham and Walworth. A list of routes likely to be affected is given in the table below.
Their union, Unite, says that the dispute is a result of the company failing to enter into meaningful pay talks despite an earlier commitment to do so. Workers’ pay is due to increase from January 2023, but Unite says Abellio has failed even to make an initial pay offer.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, “Abellio is a vastly wealthy multinational company that could and should be paying its workers a fair pay increase. With workers struggling to cope with rampant inflation, Abellio’s failure to even enter into meaningful pay talks is cold-hearted and callous.
“Unite is now entirely focused on defending and enhancing the jobs, pay and conditions of its members and the bus drivers at Abellio will be receiving the union’s complete support.”
The union claims that the company is paying among the lowest rates for bus drivers in London, which is creating a severe retention crisis. Unite further alleges that the company is only managing to maintain its schedules due to a huge reliance on overtime, making its operations unsustainable.
Unite regional officer Guy Langston: “The strike action will cause widespread disruption across the London bus network, most notably in South and West London, but this dispute is entirely of Abellio’s own making. It has had every opportunity to enter into meaningful pay negotiations, but it has chosen not to do so.”
“The delay in offering a pay increase is causing extreme distress to the workers who are increasingly struggling to make ends meet and pay even for the basics.”
A response has been requested from Abellio.
Routes Operated by Abellio
No. |
Route |
3 |
Crystal Palace - West Dulwich - Brixton - Kennington - Westminster - Trafalgar Square |
24 |
Hampstead Heath - Camden Town - Tottenham Court Road - Westminster - Victoria - Pimlico |
27 |
Hammersmith - Kensington - Paddington - Camden Town - Chalk Farm |
45 |
Clapham Park - Brixton Hill - Brixton - Camberwell - Walworth - Elephant & Castle |
63 |
Honor Oak - Peckham - Trafalgar Avenue - Elephant & Castle - Blackfriars - King's Cross |
68 |
West Norwood - Herne Hill - Camberwell - Walworth - Elephant & Castle - Waterloo - Aldwych - Holborn - Euston |
109 |
Croydon - Norbury - Streatham - Brixton |
111 |
Heathrow Airport Central - Cranford - Heston - Hounslow - Hanworth - Hampton - Hampton Court - Kingston |
130 |
New Addington – Addington – Shirley Park – Norwood Junction – Thornton Heath |
156 |
Wimbledon - Southfields - Wandsworth - Clapham Junction - Queenstown Road - Vauxhall |
159 |
Streatham – Brixton – Kennington – Westminster – Oxford Circus |
195 |
Charville Lane - Wood End - Hayes - Bulls Bridge - Southall - Ealing Hospital - Hanwell - Boston Manor - Brentford |
196 |
Norwood Junction – West Norwood – Herne Hill – Brixton – Stockwell – Vauxhall – Elephant & Castle |
201 |
Morden - Mitcham Road - Mitcham - Streatham - Streatham Hill - Tulse Hill Station - Thurlow Park Road - Herne Hill |
207 |
Hayes By-Pass - Hanwell - Ealing - Acton - Shepherd's Bush - White City |
267 |
Fulwell - Twickenham - Isleworth - Brentford - Turnham Green - Hammersmith |
270 |
Mitcham - Tooting - Earlsfield - Wandsworth - Putney Bridge |
278 |
Ruislip - Ickenham - Hillingdon - Hayes End - Wood End - Hayes - Harlington - Heathrow Central |
285 |
Heathrow Airport Central - Hatton Cross - Feltham - Uxbridge Road - Hampton Hill - Teddington - Kingston |
315 |
West Norwood Station - York Hill - Gleneldon Road - Streatham - Bedford Hill - Balham |
322 |
Crystal Palace - Gipsy Hill - West Dulwich - West Norwood - Herne Hill - Railton Road - Brixton - Clapham Common |
344 |
Clapham Junction - Battersea - Vauxhall - Lambeth - Elephant & Castle - Southwark Bridge - Liverpool Street Station |
345 |
Peckham - Camberwell - Brixton - Stockwell - Clapham Common - Clapham Junction - Battersea - South Kensington |
350 |
Hayes and Harlington Station - Heathrow Terminal 5 via Stockley Park, West Drayton and Harmondsworth |
367 |
Bromley - Shortlands - Beckenham - Elmers End - Shirley Oaks - Addiscombe - West Croydon |
381 |
Waterloo (County Hall) - Peckham Bus Station via London Bridge, Bermondsey and Rotherhithe |
407 |
Caterham - Whyteleafe - Purley - South Croydon - Croydon - Waddon - Wallington Green - Carshalton - Sutton |
415 |
Tulse Hill • Brixton • Kennington • Elephant & Castle • Old Kent Road, Tesco |
427 |
Uxbridge - Ealing Hospital - Ealing Broadway - Acton |
433 |
Addington Interchange - Forestdale - Selsdon Vale - Selsdon - Croham Valley - Croydon |
464 |
Tatsfield Village / Old Ship - New Addington Tram Stop |
482 |
Southall – Convent Way – Hounslow West – Hatton Cross – Heathrow (Terminal 4) – Heathrow (Terminal 5) |
490 |
Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 - Heathrow Airport Cargo Area - Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 - Hatton Cross - Feltham - Staines Road - Twickenham - Richmond - Richmond Pools on the Park |
969 |
Gladstone Avenue Whitton - Roehampton Vale / Asda |
C10 |
Canada Water – Rotherhithe – Bermondsey – Elephant & Castle – Lambeth Bridge – Pimlico – Victoria |
E5 |
Southall, Toplocks Estate – Perivale, Tesco |
E7 |
Ruislip Station – Earling Broadway, Haven Greem |
E10 |
Islip Manor - Northolt - Smith's Farm - Ferrymead - Greenford - Castlebar Hill - Ealing |
E11 |
Greenford - Elthorne Heights - Castle Bar Park - West Ealing - Ealing - Warwick Drive |
H20 |
Hounslow - Ivybridge via Worton Road |
H25 |
Hatton Cross - Butts Farm via Bedfont, Feltham and Hanworth |
H26 |
Hatton Cross - Sparrow Farm via Bedfont, Bedfont Lakes and Feltham |
H28 |
Bulls Bridge - Osterley (Tesco) via Heston, Hounslow and Spring Grove |
P5 |
Nine Elms Patmore Estate - Lansdowne Way - Stockwell - Clapham North - Bedford Road - Brixton - Loughborough Park - Myatts Fields - Brandon Estate - Walworth - Elephant & Castle |
P13 |
Streatham - Downton Avenue - Tulse Hill Station - Dulwich Common - Underhill Road - East Dulwich Sainsbury's - Avondale Rise - Peckham - New Cross Gate Sainsbury's |
R68 |
Kew Retail Park - Hampton Court via Richmond, Twickenham and Teddington |
R70 |
Richmond - Hampton (Nurserylands) via Twickenham, Hampton Hill and Hanworth |
S4 |
Roundshaw - Woodcote Green - Wallington - Belmont - Sutton - Benhilton - St Helier |
U5 |
Hayes - Stockley Park - Stockley Estate - West Drayton - Falling Lane - Colham Green - Pield Heath - Cowley - Uxbridge |
U7 |
Uxbridge - Hayes Retail Park via Brunel University, Hillingdon Hospital and Charville Lane |
U9 |
Uxbridge Station - Harefield Hospital via Harefield |
Night Services
No. |
Route |
Frequency |
N3 |
Oxford Circus - Bromley via Westminster, Brixton, Crystal Palace and Beckenham |
Nightly |
24 |
Hampstead Heath - Camden Town - Tottenham Court Road - Westminster - Victoria - Pimlico |
24hr |
27 |
Hammersmith - Kensington - Paddington - Camden Town - Chalk Farm |
24hr |
N63 |
Crystal Palace - Honor Oak - Peckham - Trafalgar Avenue - Elephant & Castle - Blackfriars - King's Cross |
Nightly |
N68 |
Old Coulsdon – Purley – Croydon – Thornton Heath – West Norwood – Herne Hill – Camberwell – Elephant & Castle – Waterloo – Holborn – Tottenham Court Road Station |
Nightly |
N109 |
Croydon - Norbury - Streatham - Brixton - Kennington - Westminster - Oxford Circus |
Nightly |
111 |
Heathrow Airport Central - Cranford - Heston - Hounslow - Hanworth - Hampton - Hampton Court - Kingston |
24hr |
159 |
Streatham – Brixton – Kennington – Westminster – Oxford Circus |
24hr |
N207 |
Uxbridge - Hayes End - Southall - Hanwell - Ealing - Acton - Shepherd's Bush - Oxford Circus - Holborn |
Nightly |
344 |
Liverpool Street - Clapham Junction via Southwark, Elephant & Castle, Vauxhall and Battersea Park |
24hr |
345 |
Peckham Bus Station – South Kensington Station |
24hr |
N381 |
Trafalgar Square - Peckham via Waterloo, London Bridge, Bermondsey and Rotherhithe |
Nightly |
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November 11, 2022