Music events in Cardiff face disruption as bus drivers set to strike

Bus workers at Cardiff City Transport Services LTD, more commonly known as Cardiff Bus, are set to take three weeks of continuous strike action later this month.

Over 450 members of Unite, including bus drivers, at the firm will take the action from Sunday 17 August until the morning of Sunday 7 September in an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions.

Strike action is likely to impact travel arrangements for ongoing entertainment events within the city including planned music events by artists including Tom Jones, Will Smith and Basement Jaxx at Cardiff Castle.

Workers at publicly-owned Cardiff Bus are financially struggling and have rejected the company’s latest offer which leaves driver pay below levels in the rest of the UK.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Cardiff Bus has long ignored low rates of pay and our hardworking members have rightfully had enough of the situation.

“These workers provide a vital frontline service and deserve to be compensated fairly. Any disruption is the fault of Cardiff Bus and our members there have Unite’s full backing every step of the way in this dispute.”

Conditions

The dispute at Cardiff Bus also relates to conditions. Timetabling issues have left workers unable to take proper breaks, meanwhile workers often face long walking times to break facilities.

Workers have found this means their required breaks are disrupted while running late and there has been little support being given from the employer to ensure they can rest or eat properly between journeys.

The stress and fatigue that can result from this can lead to drivers going sick and when they do their income is decimated by doing so as unfair sick pay rates are another concern for workers at Cardiff Bus.

The Bill for Franchising bus services in Wales is due for Royal Assent in early 2026 and the low rates of pay in the sector raise fears of a race to the bottom on pay and conditions.

Franchising will also see workers moving in and out of companies through increased TUPE, which runs the risk of creating two-tier pay structures if not challenged. This has already been seen at Cardiff Bus, where 15 members who work on certain contracted routes affiliated with local NHS hospitals being excluded from local agreements on terms and conditions, and expected to work longer hours than their colleagues.

“Undervalued for far too long”

Unite regional officer Alan McCarthy said: “Members really do not want to find themselves taking strike action and disrupting their passengers and people visiting Cardiff however the low pay offer and poor conditions have left them with little choice.

“We don’t tolerate this in our publicly owned rail network. Why should we tolerate this in our publicly owned bus companies? We urge Cardiff Bus and other key stakeholders across the bus sector to pay attention to what workers are telling them as we approach franchising. Bus workers have been undervalued for far too long.”

A spokesperson for Cardiff Bus said: “We are disappointed to have received notice from UNITE the Union of the intent for their members to take part in strike action from 17^th August to 7^th September 2025 in response to the ongoing dispute.  We have so far worked in an open and transparent fashion which has culminated in what we believe is a substantial offer of 5.86% to increase rates of pay.

“Cardiff Bus terms and conditions are considered market leading in Wales and we have been a real living wage employer for over ten years demonstrating our commitment to pay a fair wage to our workforce.

“We are committed to ongoing negotiation with UNITE the Union representatives in pursuit of a resolution to this dispute, so we can continue providing the best possible service to our customers.”