City bus drivers vote to strike over pay

Bus services in Doncaster are due to be disrupted after more than 230 drivers voted to take industrial action over pay.

First Bus drivers in the city will go on strike on 28 and 30 March, and 7, 22 and 24 April after rejecting an offer which did not give them pay parity with colleagues in Sheffield, the Unite union said.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the company could afford to pay its drivers in Doncaster the same amount and was "choosing to put profits over people".

Zoe Hands, managing director of First Bus in the region, said the offer of a 7% rise backdated to January 2026 was "among the best driver pay deals this year".

"We are very disappointed and saddened at the decision to go ahead with strikes," she said, adding that the company "recognised the strength of feeling" on the issue.

"We remain committed to working constructively with Union representatives to reach a fair and sustainable agreement," Hands said.

"Our door remains open to continue discussions and avoid unnecessary industrial action."

The Unite members involved in the dispute work at the Doncaster Bus Depot on Leger Way, which operates several routes affecting the city centre.

The dates clash with the Easter holidays and events at Doncaster Racecourse including the opener of the British flat racing season, the William Hill Lincoln Handicap.

Regional officer Christian Ratcliffe said: "Unite members in Doncaster must not be financially penalised for working a few miles down the road.

"This unfair situation can't continue and Unite is demanding First Bus treats its hard-working drivers fairly."

Unite said FirstGroup was "highly profitable", with revenues of £833.6m for the six months to September 2025, and could afford to meet the strikers' demands.

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North