Ayrshire bus services decimated as Stagecoach strikes begin
Stagecoach drivers have walked out this morning in the first of a series of strikes over pay resulting in 41 bus services completely cancelled across Ayrshire.
Bus services across Ayrshire have been hit by the first in a series of strikes by drivers.
Stagecoach drivers based in Ayr, Ardrossan, Arran and Kilmarnock all walked out this morning, Monday, May 26 after rejecting a pay deal.
Some services are still running limited timetables today including the X76 and X77 services from Kilmarnock and Ayr to Glasgow as drivers from other depots fill in.
In total, 41 services across the county won't run today including the X36 from North Ayrshire to Glasgow.
Unite the Union members - including around 430 drivers in Ayrshire - voted 98 per cent in favour of taking industrial action after they rejected a four per cent pay offer which the union said came with 'strings attached'.
Stagecoach have said that drivers in Dumfries and Galloway have accepted an 11.8 per cent pay offer over two years but the same offer was rejected by drivers in Ayrshire.
Pay negotiations between Unite and Stagecoach had restarted at the end of April after an initial wave of strikes across seven separate day in May was announced.
Further strikes are planned for Monday, June 2 and Friday June 6 before a sustained six weeks of walkouts from Monday, June 9 and lasting until Monday, July 21.
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Speaking ahead of the strikes, Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: 'Stagecoach West Scotland is a profitable company. It is making money on the back of our members' hard work and long hours. The company can end this dispute at any moment by putting forward a fair offer.'
In a service update to customers, Stagecoach said: "Regrettably, the industrial action will disrupt our services and inconvenience our customers. As we play a crucial role in helping people stay connected with their communities, we plan to operate a limited service with the drivers available to us.
"We're working hard to minimise the impact of this disruption, but unfortunately, the limited services we're running will affect customers travelling in and around Ayrshire.
"We're very sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and understanding."
For full details of Stagecoach services which are available through the strikes and those which are not running, visit https://www.stagecoachbus.com/service-updates/serviceupdatesarticle?SituationId=ID-21/05/2025-10:30:20:929
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