Arriva North West drivers walk out

Arriva Bus staff in the North West began a strike today (20 July) as pay talks faltered.

The action comes after talks between Arriva and the Unite and GMB unions failed to reach an agreement over pay. During the industrial action there will be no planned Arriva bus services operating within Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire or Cheshire, except for local Macclesfield services which will all run with the exception of service 38.

For the duration of the industrial action journey planning in the north west region on the Arriva website and Arriva UK Bus App will be disabled. Arriva customers with pre-paid tickets travelling in Cheshire will be able to use them on buses operated by D&G Buses.
The special Liverpool Clatterbridge Hospital Shuttle service will also continue to operate during this time. Arriva customers with pre-paid tickets travelling in Cheshire will be able to use them on buses operated by D&G Buses, said the Liverpool Echo.

Howard Farrall, North West & Wales Area Operating Director for Arriva UK Bus said: “We are very disappointed that we were unable to reach an agreement with Unite and GMB, who have confirmed they plan to hold a strike for an indefinite period across services in the North West from 2am Wednesday July 20. Our people play a hugely important role keeping Merseyside moving and they fully deserve a fair pay rise – especially with the cost-of-living increasing so much.”