Bus services across Greater Manchester will be disrupted later this week following confirmation that staff from two operators, Stagecoach and Metroline, will go ahead with further planned strikes.
Unite the Union has confirmed that drivers at First have called off further action after voting to accept a revised pay offer.
However, both Stagecoach and Metroline staff have opted to proceed with strike action on Friday 10 October, Saturday 11 October and Monday 13 October.
It means around 190 services, including some dedicated school buses, will not run on strike days. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is advising everyone to check before they travel and allow extra time to make their journey, with the situation as follows:
Locations where services will be impacted: Bus services in Tameside, Trafford and Stockport are not expected to run and some services in south Manchester and parts of the city centre will also be impacted.
Locations with mixed levels of service: Many local services in Rochdale will run as normal but some of those which operate longer journeys will not run.
Locations with generally good levels of service: In the main, many bus services will continue to run as usual. This includes services such as the Free Bus in Manchester city centre, as well as the majority of buses in Bolton, Bury, Salford, and Wigan.
All trams, local trains, Local Link and Ring and Ride will operate as normal on the strike days.
Danny Vaughan, TfGM’s Chief Network Officer, said: “While we are pleased that planned industrial action by First staff has been called off, we encourage Stagecoach, Metroline and Unite to continue discussions to avert further strike action.
“We’ll continue to keep passengers informed and support them to make journeys wherever possible. We encourage everyone to check the latest status of their service before they travel, leave plenty of time for their journey and to get in touch if they have any questions. The Bee Network website will be the best place to get the latest updates on services.”
Over 1,900 workers at Metroline and Stagecoach will now walk out. Unite has indicated that further industrial action will also happen on Saturday 18, Thursday 23 and Friday 24 October. This action could still take place, if pay negotiations are not concluded.
Unite regional officer Colin Hayden said: "We are very pleased to have had such an excellent win at First, which is thanks to the hard work of reps and members throughout the dispute.
"Unite remains open to negotiations with the other firms involved in the dispute, but unless new offers acceptable to our members are brought to the table more disruptive strike action will go ahead."
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