Hot on the heels of an August tube strike, bus passengers in north and east London are facing major disruption to their journeys in September, as drivers ballot for industrial action demanding fairer wages. 49 routes are potentially affected by the action, including heavyweight buses such as the 19 from Finsbury Park to Battersea, the 38 from Victoria to Clapton, the 73 from Oxford Circus to Stokey and the absolute stone-cold banger that is the N29 from Trafalgar Square to Enfield. Drivers who are based at Arriva’s Ash Grove, Barking, Clapton, Edmonton, Enfield, Palmers Green, Tottenham and Wood Green bus garages will be taking part in the industrial action, affecting commuter routes throughout all of London north of the Thames.
When are the bus strikes?
More than 1,400 bus drivers who are members of Unite are being asked to vote for or against the strikes. The voting opens on August 5 and will be running throughout the month. If the workers vote in favour of the industrial action then the strikes will begin in September. It is unconfirmed how long the strikes will last for: all will be revealed after the ballot results are announced.
Why are bus drivers striking?
According to the Unite union, the ballot is a result of Arriva, one of the UK’s biggest bus operators, ‘failing to make a pay offer’. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: ‘Arriva is a tremendously wealthy company. Instead of siphoning its profits abroad it should be offering Arriva bus workers a fair wage. The company can pay, so it is only reasonable that it should pay. Unite’s primary focus is always on defending and enhancing the jobs, pay and conditions of its members and the workers at Arriva in London will receive the union’s total support until this dispute is resolved.’
What bus routes are affected?
North London
Edmonton Garage
- 158 Chingford Mount to Stratford
- 259 Edmonton Green to King’s Cross
- N279 Trafalgar Square to Waltham Cross
Enfield Garage
- 121 Turnpike Lane to Enfield Island Village
- 279 Waltham Cross to Manor House
- 313 Potters Bar to Chingford Station
- 318 North Middlesex Hospital to Stamford Hill Garage
- 349 Ponders End to Stamford Hill Garage
- 377 Oakwood Station to Ponders End
- W6 Southgate Station to Edmonton Green
Palmers Green Garage
- 102 Brent Cross to Edmonton Green
- 141 Palmers Green to London Bridge Station
- 329 Enfield Town to Turnpike Lane
- 340 Edgware Station to Harrow Bus Station
- 675 Walthamstow St James’s St to Woodbridge High School
- N102 Golders Green to Edmonton Green
Tottenham Garage
- 19 Finsbury Park to Battersea
- 41 Tottenham Hale to Archway
- 123 Ilford to Wood Green
- 149 Edmonton Green to London Bridge
- 230 Wood Green to Upper Walthamstow
- 243 Wood Green to Waterloo
- 318 Stamford Hill to North Middlesex Hospital
- 341 Northumberland Park to Westminster (County Hall)
- N19 Finsbury Park to Clapham Junction
- N41 Tottenham Hale to Trafalgar Square
Wood Green Garage
- 29 Wood Green to Trafalgar Square
- 144 Edmonton Green to Muswell Hill
- 221 Edgware Station to Turnpike Lane
- W3 Finsbury Park to Northumberland Park
- W4 Ferry Lane Estate to Oakthorpe Park
- N29 Trafalgar Square to Enfield Town
East London
Ash Grove Garage
- 78 Shoreditch to Nunhead
- 106 Finsbury Park to Whitechapel
- 254 Holloway to Aldgate
Barking Garage
- 128 Claybury to Romford
- 150 Chigwell Row to Becontree Heath
- 175 Dagenham to North Romford
- 325 East Beckton to Prince Regent
- 368 Barking to Chadwell Heath
Clapton Garage
- 38 Clapton Pond to Victoria
- 73 Stoke Newington to Oxford Circus
- 242 Homerton Hospital to Aldgate
- 253 Hackney Central to Euston
- N38 Victoria Station to Walthamstow Central
- N73 Walthamstow Central to Oxford Circus
- N242 Homerton Hospital to St Paul’s
- N253 Tottenham Court Road Station to Aldgate
In pictures: beautiful new gardens on London tube stations.
ICYMI: amazing pictures of London’s crowds celebrating at the UEFA Women’s Euros finals.
https://www.timeout.com/london/news/the-full-list-of-the-49-london-bus-routes-striking-in-september-080322
