Stagecoach strike over as bus drivers accept pay deal

Hundreds of bus drivers in the west of Scotland have ended strike action after accepting a pay deal from Stagecoach.

The Unite union said the new terms would be worth an 11.5% uplift on basic pay, ending a long-running dispute between unions and the bus operator that affected services in Ayrshire and Arran.

The 430 workers began several weeks of consecutive strike action on 9 June, but halted the walkout on Wednesday after Stagecoach made the new offer.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the drivers had taken "a brave stance" by going on strike. Stagecoach said it was please drivers had accepted the offer.

The pay deal amounts to an increase backdated to January, taking basic hourly pay from £13 per hour to £14 in June this year.

From February 2026 the rate will be lifted to £14.50 until July 2026 when pay negotiations will take place again.

The continuous strike action followed three one-day strikes in May and June, affecting services throughout Ayrshire and Arran.

The dispute centred on the union seeking an improvement on a 4% pay rise offer tabled last November - a proposal Unite had described as "unacceptable".

Stagecoach claimed an increased offer would risk the viability of services, while the union argued drivers in Ayrshire were among the worst paid in the company.

Stagecoach operated a reduced timetable during the days of action.

Ms Graham said the drivers "have stood firm to get an improved pay offer" and the dispute was about "decency and fair pay."

Unite industrial officer Siobhan McCready said the deal represented "significant progress" for the workers.

A spokesperson for Stagecoach said: "We are pleased that our drivers have voted overwhelmingly to accept the pay deal.

"We want to thank our communities for their patience during the disruptive industrial action earlier this month and we now return our focus to ensuring we deliver our essential services to keep communities in Ayrshire connected."

Stagecoach announced this week it was ending almost all of its bus services in Dumfries and Galloway - a region not affected by the recent strike - because they were "no longer commercially viable".