Arriva North West bus services cancelled due to drivers' strike

A strike by drivers has led a bus firm to cancel the majority of its services across North West England.

Arriva North West (ANW) said it was unable to run services in Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester after industrial action began at 02:00 BST.

The firm, which will run a limited Cheshire service, said it had offered staff a "generous pay rise" of 8.5%.

The union Unite said a significant raise was "vital" for those facing cost of living rises.

ANW said only its Macclesfield services, with the exception of service 38, and the Liverpool Clatterbridge Hospital Shuttle service would run as planned.

It added that services in Wales running out of its Chester depot and into Chester from Wrexham and Rhyl were unaffected.

Area operating director Howard Farrall said staff "fully deserve a fair pay rise, especially with the cost-of-living increasing so much", which was why the firm had made a "generous" offer, "despite the significant pressures on the bus sector with increasing costs and passenger numbers still at below pre-pandemic levels".

Unite regional officer Dave Roberts said his members were "trying to keep up with paying bills [and] over-inflated prices on fuel and a good pay rise is vital for them to be able to survive".

He said he was sorry for the disruption, as "we know people do rely on the bus network", but the union needed ANW "to come back round the table and make an offer that our members accept".

A planned strike by bus drivers at Stagecoach Merseyside was called off earlier in the week after a "substantial" pay increase was agreed.

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