Mayor of West Yorkshire 'deeply disappointed' as Arriva bus strike continues

Bus services around the region remain suspended due to the ongoing industrial action, although Arriva has restarted some school services for pupils taking GCSE exams.

Reacting to the breakdown in talks between Arriva Yorkshire and Unite the Union, Tracy Brabin said: "I am deeply disappointed talks have broken down between Unite and Arriva Yorkshire.

"As a bus user, I understand the frustrations of passengers and want nothing more than this action to be resolved. Sadly, because bus services outside of London are run by private operators, our powers are limited.

"Earlier this week, I introduced a free shuttle bus to take people to vital hospital appointments at Pinderfields in Wakefield, and we are continuing to look at what other interim measures we can implement to help.

"In a cost-of-living crisis people need to be paid a fair wage but we also need to get our region back on the move.

"I’ve met with Arriva Yorkshire and Unite and urged them to come to an agreement for the benefit of those needing to get to work, school and around the region.

"I sincerely hope that both sides can come together as soon as possible."

Following the latest talks, an Arriva spokesperson said: "Arriva Yorkshire presented a further increased pay offer to Unite for our colleagues. This new offer represents an increase of between 8.2 and 12.7 per cent and raises the top rate to £13.15 per hour as well as increasing back pay.

"We were hopeful these talks would lead to a positive outcome and the ending of strike action across Yorkshire.

"However, we’re extremely disappointed at Unite's ongoing decision to not ballot their members on this offer.

"Our customers will no doubt share this frustration as strikes will continue to have a negative impact on our communities.

"We repeat our call for the strike to be suspended and for the union to take our offer to our employees so that communities can access vital bus services."