The official reason is a dispute over pay scales and bathroom breaks. Apparently, drivers are allowed one 15-minute break per eight-hour shift, and that break is often spent arguing with a passenger who is trying to bring a live goat onto the bus. I am not making that up—a real goat was on the 205 last Tuesday. The driver had to negotiate a peace treaty with a farm animal.
So, when you hear "bathroom breaks," picture a grown adult in a uniform, crossing their legs while a goat bleats at them about fare evasion. You’d strike too. Also, they want a raise of about 4.5%, which is roughly the same amount you spend on coffee during a single traffic jam.
If buses are on strike in London tomorrow and full list of Abellio dates
What This Means For You (The Practical, Panic-Inducing Part)
If you take the 101, you are basically stranded. Plan B? There is no Plan B—the 101 is the only bus that goes to that weird intersection by the old donut factory. Your options are: walk (32 miles, bring snacks), bike (but beware of potholes that can swallow a small child), or carpool with a stranger from a Facebook group called "Suburban Wolves."
For the 205 route, you might have a backup: the Rapid Transit Bus 8A exists, but it stops at every single mailbox between here and the next county. Taking the 8A is like riding a tortoise that keeps stopping for selfies. It will get you there, but you will arrive having aged five years and learned the life story of the person next to you.
