Stagecoach West bus strikes called off after drivers accept new pay offer

Stagecoach bus strikes in the west of Scotland have been called off after drivers accepted a new pay offer on Friday.

Unite confirmed that strike action involving 430 members at Stagecoach West Scotland has ended after drivers “overwhelmingly” accepted an 18-month pay deal with an 11.5% pay increase.

The pay deal, backdated to January, takes basic hourly pay from £13 per hour to £14 this year. From February 2026, the rate will be lifted to £14.50 until July 2026 when pay negotiations will be renewed.

“Unite’s members at Stagecoach West Scotland have stood firm to get an improved pay offer,” Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary said.

“The dispute has been resolved only through the brave stance of the drivers taking strike action. This dispute was all about decency and fair pay.”

Industrial action, which began on June 9, directly impacted Stagecoach West Scotland operations out of several depots in Ayr, Arran, Ardrossan and Kilmarnock which service passengers across Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and Glasgow.

Action was scheduled to last until July 21, however last week the union suspended strikes from 3pm on June 18, subject to the result of an all-members ballot on the pay offer.

Unite the Union previously said Stagecoach had failed to improve on a 4% offer, which was put to members last November and rejected, resulting in 98% of its members voting to take industrial action.

“The drivers were only asking to be paid at a rate similar to other Stagecoach drivers across the UK,” Siobhan McCready, Unite industrial officer, said.

“The pay deal will take our members to a level that represents significant progress from where this dispute started. Strike action is now over and our members can get back to doing what they do best which is to provide a first rate bus service for communities across the west of Scotland.”

Stagecoach West Scotland welcomed the end to industrial action following union members’ decision to accept the reworked pay offer.

To finance part of the increase, Stagecoach West said there will be a reduction in signing on time and cashing in time to reflect the increase in contactless and online ticket transactions, and the minimum break time will reduce from 45 minutes to 35 minutes to allow for improved efficiencies.

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.”