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 drivers voted to take commercial action over pay.


First Bus chauffeurs in the city will go on strike on 28 and 30 March, and 7, 22 and 24 April after rejecting a deal which did not give them pay parity with colleagues in Sheffield, the Unite union said.


Unite basic secretary Sharon Graham stated the company could manage to pay its drivers in Doncaster the same quantity and was "picking to put earnings over individuals".


Zoe Hands, managing director of First Bus in the region, stated the deal of a 7% rise backdated to January 2026 was "amongst the very best driver pay deals this year".


"We are really disappointed and saddened at the choice to proceed with strikes," she said, including that the company "identified the strength of feeling" on the issue.


"We remain committed to working constructively with Union representatives to reach a fair and sustainable contract," Hands stated.


"Our door remains open to continue conversations and avoid unneeded industrial action."


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The Unite members included in the disagreement work at the Doncaster Bus Depot on Leger Way, which runs several routes impacting the city centre.


The dates encounter the Easter holidays and occasions 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 should not be financially penalised for working a few miles down the roadway.


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


Unite said FirstGroup was "highly rewarding", with earnings of ₤ 833.6 m for the 6 months to September 2025, and might afford to meet the strikers' needs.


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