Manchester braced for major travel disruption as 1,000 Bee Network bus drivers begin strike action

The strike, which is set to take place from Tuesday 30 September through to Thursday 2 October, follows a breakdown in pay negotiations between Metroline and Unite the Union and affects depots at Sharston, Hyde Road, Ashton, and Wythenshawe, impacting around 130 bus routes, including some dedicated school services.

The action is part of a wider dispute over pay across several operators in the Bee Network, Greater Manchester’s newly integrated public transport system.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Metroline has consistently put profits before people throughout this dispute and workers have quite rightly had enough. Bus drivers do difficult and important jobs and deserve to be paid fairly. They will have Unite’s full backing throughout the industrial action.”

While the Metroline strike is proceeding, similar planned walkouts by Unite members at First Bus in Rochdale and Stagecoach depots in Oldham, Stockport, and Middleton have been called off after revised pay offers were made. Those offers are now subject to a ballot by union members.

Unite regional officer Colin Hayden said: “Following negotiations between Unite and these employers, revised pay offers have been put forward for some of the workers involved in this dispute.

“We have therefore suspended strike action to allow members at Stagecoach and First Bus Rochdale to vote on this. However, workers at Metroline will continue with industrial action as planned, as the employer has not made an offer deemed acceptable to our members.”

Metroline is part of the Bee Network, which launched earlier this year as a publicly controlled transport model aiming to provide better coordination and service across buses, trams, and other local transit.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has warned passengers to check before travelling, as services in areas such as south Manchester, the city centre, Tameside, and Trafford will be most affected. Stockport will see a mix of operating and cancelled routes, while most services in Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, and Wigan are expected to continue running.

Danny Vaughan, TfGM’s Chief Network Officer, said: “While we’re pleased First and Stagecoach staff have called off planned strikes, it’s disappointing that Metroline staff are continuing with industrial action this week.

“That’s despite the fact that a revised and improved offer was made by the operator. This will disrupt journeys in parts of Greater Manchester, with around 130 routes not expected to operate over the next three days.”

To support affected passengers, those with 7-day, 28-day, term-time, annual or concessionary passes – including Our Pass – will be able to travel on Metrolink trams, Northern rail services in affected areas, and TransPennine Express services between Greenfield and Manchester Piccadilly during the strike period.

TfGM is advising passengers to avoid peak travel times where possible, as services across the network are likely to be busier than usual. The latest updates can be found on the Bee Network website.

Unite has previously indicated that industrial action will also happen on 10, 11, 13, 18, 23 and 24 October. This action could still take place, if pay negotiations are not concluded.

A search function is available on the TfGM website for passengers to check if their service is affected, as well as the latest updates and route-specific information at: www.beenetwork.com/bus-industrial-action