Hundreds of Arriva's bus drivers and engineers have entered their fifth day of strike action. 

The indefinite walkout started from 2am on Monday, June 6, leaving Bradford and West Yorkshire without access to their usual services.

Unite has demanded Arriva to "pay up", rejecting the bus company's latest pay rise offer between seven and 12.5 per cent.

The pay offer would see hourly rates top £13.00 for most drivers, Arriva claimed, with trainee drivers set to start on at least £10.30 an hour.

In the latest update, Unite North East, Yorkshire & the Humber said: "Support for @unitetheunion members at @ArrivaYorkshire has been flooding in from right across the trade union movement.

"We're confident that we will win this dispute and call on the company to return to the table with an offer that meets our members aspirations."

One bus driver shared his view from the picket line at Arriva Heckmondwike.

"We're currently on strike fighting for a decent pay increase that's matching inflation," he told Unite.

"We get paid on a Friday, but we have people now that are saying to us that 'I get paid on the Friday, come Wednesday and Thursday, I'm running out of money'."

Arriva bus timetable in Bradford, West Yorkshire

No Arriva buses are operating today in West Yorkshire - leaving Bradford district without access to the following services:

  • 268 Bradford to Wakefield
  • 281/283 Birstall Retail Park or Bradford to Dewsbury
  • 425/425A/427 Bradford to Wakefield

All Arriva pre-paid tickets will be accepted on First Bus & Transdev buses.

One bus user from Wakefield told the T&A about how the strike action had affected her life.

She said: "I work at a small country village, also mum's carer and don't drive. How am I supposed to get to my job and mum? I have had to rely on people giving me lifts. Children doing exams can't get to school."

Reaching out to Batley and Spen MP Kim Leadbeater on Twitter, another said: "The school kids can't even get to school at the moment. We have been cut off from civilisation.

"Arriva cannot be allowed to keep abusing our town this way."

Why are Arriva bus drivers and staff on strike?

Strike action was taken after 650 members of Unite voted overwhelmingly against a reported 4.1 per cent pay increase, describing it as far below the RPI inflation rate, which is now in double figures.

Read more on this: Why are bus drivers on strike today

Ahead of the strike, Unite regional officer Phil Bown said: “Strike action will inevitably cause significant disruption and delays for the Yorkshire travelling public, but this dispute is entirely of Arriva’s own making.

“Our members are already suffering from poverty pay and the company is trying to make the situation even worse.”

But Gavin Peace, area operations director for Arriva North East and Yorkshire, insisted the suggestion of a 4.1 per cent pay offer was "incorrect".

In a statement published on Monday, Mr Peace said: “This is incorrect. Arriva offered a substantially improved pay offer, which Unite are refusing to ballot their members on. This isn’t fair to our employees and communities across Yorkshire who want this issue resolved. The strike should be immediately suspended while Unite’s members vote on the fair and generous offer.”

Arriva has reportedly put a new pay offer on the table, between 7 and 12.5 per cent depending on the role.

Arriva added: "We’re baffled as to why the Unite trade union wouldn’t put this generous offer to their own members and allow them to exercise their democratic right to vote.

"This unjustified strike is causing such disruption for the public and it should be called off immediately."

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