Stagecoach Manchester bus drivers to strike for four days this month- full details on affected services

Further bus strikes are set to hit Manchester this week with Unite members at Stagecoach starting four days of industrial action. The strikes will be over consecutive days and get underway on Friday August 11. 

The action comes as drivers at another bus company in the region, First Bus Manchester, bring to an end their current run of strike action. This will conclude on the same day as the start of the Stagecoach strikes. 

Over 1,000 drivers at Stagecoach Manchester voted in favour of strike action. Drivers balloted for action at the end of July, with the four dates pencilled in then. 

In a statement, Stagecoach said: "Stagecoach Manchester regrets to inform customers that bus drivers will be taking industrial action on 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th August 2023. During these dates, Stagecoach will be operating the following limited services only between 7am and 7pm.

Which services will be affected in Manchester? 

The bus operator also gave an update on which services will be affected by strike action. The spokesperson added: "Service 43 - every 15 minutes. Service 192 - every 15 minutes (Hazel Grove to Manchester) and every 15 minutes (Stepping Hill Hospital to Manchester). Service 201 - every 15 minutes. Service 203 - every 15 minutes. Service 219 - every 15 minutes."

Unite regional officer Colin Hayden said: “Stagecoach bears full responsibility for the disruption that will be caused to passengers. This dispute could have been settled with a sensible offer weeks ago and our members are striking as a last resort. Unite’s door remains open and we urge the company to return the negotiating table with an offer our members can accept.” 

To keep up to date with the latest service information and to check if your travel plans will be impacted by the strike, visit the Stagecoach website.

Services operating out of Stagecoach Manchester’s Middleton and Wigan Depots are unaffected by this action and the following services will operate as normal:

Middleton services

• 56, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 149, 171, 172, 350, 426

Wigan services

• 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10A, 34, 34A

Lee Wasnidge, Managing Director of Stagecoach Manchester, said:  “The strike will be damaging to everybody and cause severe disruption to our customers who depend on the bus to get to work, education and for appointments.

“The management team at Stagecoach have been working hard to agree an industry leading pay settlement. We have made a substantial offer which would see our drivers’ headline pay rates increase by 14.3% and in addition, every driver would receive an immediate one-off payment of £750.

“Our offer would make Stagecoach drivers amongst the best-paid in the region with excellent terms and conditions. It is therefore incredibly disappointing that our above rate of inflation deal, has been rejected. We are focused on finalising an agreement as quickly as possible to avoid any industrial action and remain fully committed to engaging in further discussions with Unite the Union to enable us to reach a resolution as quickly as possible.”