Bus chaos looms in Brighton and Crawley as 1,000 drivers announce strike over pay

Commuters across Brighton, Hove, Crawley and Gatwick Airport are facing major disruption next month after more than 1,000 bus workers voted to strike in a bitter row over pay.

Unite the Union confirmed that its members at Brighton Bus Company and Metrobus Crawley overwhelmingly rejected a pay offer of just 3.5 per cent — which amounts to a real-terms pay cut, with inflation running at 4.5 per cent in July 2025.

Following the ballot of around 1,300 workers, strike action has been scheduled for 6 and 15 October, threatening widespread transport disruption for workers, students, and travellers heading to Gatwick Airport.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham slammed the company’s offer, saying:

“This is an insulting pay offer — our members aren’t asking for a king’s ransom but are being asked to accept less while Brighton and Crawley bus parent companies make millions and siphon money to overseas shareholders.

Our members have Unite’s unwavering support in their campaign for a fair pay deal.”

The Brighton Bus Company and Metrobus Crawley are owned by the Go-Ahead Group, which is based in Newcastle and is itself owned by global transport giants Kinetic and Globalvia. Unite claims both companies are hugely profitable and continue to generate large returns for their international shareholders.

Unite regional officer Janet Nobbs added:

“Our members do an incredibly stressful job, driving at all times of day and night, in all weathers throughout the year. They keep Brighton and Crawley’s workers and students moving.

Yet the company has seen fit to try to impose a real-terms pay cut which is simply unacceptable. Unless the company comes back to the table with a dramatically improved offer, our members will have been left with no option but to take strike action. The bus company has brought this on themselves with their penny-pinching approach to workforce relations.”

If no resolution is reached, services across Brighton, Hove, Crawley and Gatwick are expected to grind to a halt on the strike days.