Drivers at Another Bus Company Announce Strikes

Metroline services set to be hit twice in December

Metroline bus garage. Picture: Metroline

December 1, 2022

Another bus company operating in the area could be hit by industrial action.

Drivers at some garages operated by Metroline originally planned to strike on seven days in December, with the first action starting on Thursday 1 December and the last day of action on Saturday 17 December.

The first round of strikes has been postponed following an improved pay offer which has resulted in last minute talks and a reballoting of members

The subsequent days of strike action may continue if drivers decide to reject the new pay offer.

The action has been organised by their union Unite in a dispute over pay and over 2,000 drivers are set to take part.

If it proceeds, it is expected to affect around 70 routes, mainly in north, northwest and west London.

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.

The next round runs from Thursday 8 December-Saturday 10 December and finally Thursday 15 December-Saturday 17 December. Services will be affected through to around 6:00am the morning following the final day of a period of strike action, which means night buses will be affected the night after a strike action. Night buses will run as normal into the morning of the start of a period of strike action.

The Abellio strikes are taking place on 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 16 and 17 December.

TfL aims to run as many bus services as possible run in the affected areas, but they will be busier than usual.

The following bus routes operated by Metroline will be impacted:

• 4,6,7,16,17,30,32,43,46,52,81,83,90,91,98,107,112,113,120,134,139,140,143 ,168, 182,186,189,190,204,210,231,234,237,240,245,260,263,268,271,274,292,297,302,306, 316, 317,324,328,332,382,384,390,393,460,483,491, 631,632,634,643,C11,E2,E8,H2,H3,W7,W8,N7, N16,N20,N31,N83,N91,N98,N113,N140

Unite says that some drivers are paid as little as £13.13 an hour by the Singapore-based company, which it contends is not sufficient given the rising cost of living.

The company has offered a 10% pay increase plus 9% backpay but this has been rejected because it represents a real term cut.

The company’s latest offer of a 10 per cent pay increase and nine per cent on back pay was rejected by the workforce, as it amounted to a real terms pay cut with the real inflation rate (RPI) currently standing at 14.2 per cent.

The drivers taking industrial action are based at the following bus garages: Brentford, Cricklewood, Edgware, Harrow Weald, Holloway, King’s Cross, Lampton, Perivale, Potter’s Bar and Willseden.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, “Metroline is an exceptionally wealthy company and it is unforgivable that it is paying among the lowest driver pay rates in London.

“Rates of pay at Metroline are so low that workers simply can’t cope as the cost-of-living crisis continues to worsen. This is a company that can afford to pay but has chosen not to do so.

“Our bus driver members in London are receiving Unite’s complete support.”

Louise Cheeseman, Director of Buses at TfL, said, "We apologise for any disruption caused to Londoners, especially for people in west London who may be affected by both sets of strike action. There still will be options for people to travel in the affected areas, but other routes may be busier than normal. We're encouraging everyone in these areas to plan ahead, check before they travel and leave more time for their journeys. Our free TfL Go app and website are really easy ways to check your travel.”

RMT’s Network Rail strike action will affect parts of these services from Tuesday 13 December to Wednesday 14 December, and from Friday 16 December to Saturday 17 December.

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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Drivers at Another Bus Company Announce Strikes

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