London commuters face disruption as bus drivers plan seven days of strikes | TfL

Passengers have been warned to count on disruption as strikes by hundreds of bus drivers in London will have an effect on routes for seven days in December.

Drivers within the Unite union at two employers, Abellio and Metroline, will strike for 3 days from Thursday 1 to Saturday 3 December in disputes over pay.

Transport for London (TfL) stated clients in north, west and south London ought to verify earlier than they journey and depart extra time for his or her journeys.

Whereas some passengers have transport options in tube and practice companies, with greater than 100 routes delivered to a standstill, congestion on the roads and remaining buses is prone to be important.

Final-ditch talks at Acas between Unite and Metroline are because of happen on Wednesday, with the union nonetheless negotiating with Abellio.

The Metroline employees, who cowl routes in north and west London, are because of strike once more on 8-9 and 15-16 December.

Abellio bus employees, largely primarily based within the south and west of the capital, took three days of strike motion in late November and also will strike on 9-10 and 16-17 December.

The final motion by bus employees at each companies will coincide with rail strikes by the RMT, which can also be prone to have an effect on some tube, London Overground and Elizabeth line companies in west London.

Hundreds of members of the RMT working for Community Rail and 14 practice working firms will twice strike for 2 48-hour intervals in every week. The primary strikes, on 13-14 and 16-17 December, will trigger disruption over six consecutive days within the run-up to Christmas, with the same impact on companies by additional strikes on 3-4 and 6-7 January.

The Unite normal secretary, Sharon Graham, has described Metroline, owned by the Singapore-based ComfortDelGro, and Abellio as “exceptionally rich firms” who may afford to pay drivers in step with others within the capital.

Louise Cheeseman, the director of buses at TfL, stated: “We apologise for any disruption precipitated to Londoners, particularly for folks in west London who could also be affected by each units of strike motion. There nonetheless can be choices for folks to journey within the affected areas however different routes could also be busier than regular.

“We’re encouraging everybody in these areas to plan forward, verify earlier than they journey and depart extra time for his or her journeys.”