Bristol bus strike - all you need to know as drivers walk out over pay

Bus drivers in Bristol working for First are to walk out in a row over pay from Tuesday

Bus drivers in Bristol are going on strike this week in a row over pay.

Workers from the city's Hengrove and Lawrence Hill depots are walking out.

With more than 600 drivers on strike, it's going to have a significant impact on services. Here's all you need to know.

Which services will be affected?

There's quite a few. If you're planning to use any of these services, you'll want to check before you travel:

1/2/2a, 3/4, 5, 6/7, 8, 24, 25, 36, 37, 41, 42/43, 44/45, 46, 47, 47x, 48, 48x, 49, 49x, 50, 70, 72, 73, 74, 75/76, 515, U1/U1N.

The A1 Flyer to and from Bristol Airport is also likely to be affected.

There will also be reduced service levels on all other services in Bristol.

First Bus is updating its website with the latest on each service. You can find that page here.

Which ones are definitely running?

Bus driver are going on strike in Bristol - but Metrobus services are not affected

First has said the Metrobus services will all be running as usual.

Services between Thornbury and Bristol, as well as Yate and Bristol are also not impacted by the industrial action.

It's worth noting that services in Bath, North East Somerset, Weston-super-Mare and North Somerset are also not part of this industrial action and will not be affected.

How long will the strike be?

The industrial action begins on Tuesday 16 September and runs until Friday.

First Bus says its services will be affected from 03:00 BST on Tuesday until 04:00 on Saturday morning.

What is the row about?

More than 1,000 drivers working for First West of England rejected what they called an "unsatisfactory" pay offer earlier this month.

First said the offer was a "full and final" one, and wanted to "find a solution" to stop the strike.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "First Group is a very profitable company and can afford to come back with an improved offer that is acceptable to our bus drivers."

She accused the company of "putting profits over people".

What alternatives do I have?

If you are a regular bus user, it goes without saying you're going to need to plan ahead this week.

If you don't have a car then there are plenty of other ways to get around.

Bristol is a very walkable city if you are able. But, you'll need to leave yourself lots of extra time to get where you're going.

Other alternatives include using e-scooters or e-bikes. Details of how you can do that can be found here.

You could also hop on a train. For example, the Severn Beach line is handy for a lot of locations across the city from Parson Street and Bedminster up through Stapleton Road, Redland, Clifton and out towards the Portway and Avonmouth.