HUNDREDS of Bradford bus drivers walked out on strike for 48 hours yesterday over cuts, safety concerns, bullying and management’s refusal to negotiate meaningfully.
The 380 drivers are members of Unite and 200 of them staged a noisy picket, winning public support in the West Yorkshire city.

Shop steward Mohammed Taj told the Star that the drivers, employed by privateer First Bus Bradford, feared for the safety of buses due to cuts in maintenance budgets.

At the good-natured picket at Bowling Back Lane bus depot, competing sound systems played punk and reggae, and there was also a live bhangra band.

Unite regional officer Harriet Eisner said: “This blinkered management has let services wither on the vine over the last four years. They need to wake up and take the union’s concerns seriously.”