A major York bus company says it is to start paying the Real Living Wage (RLW) to all its staff from April.

The move comes as bus companies have struggled to find recruits in recent years, which in some cases has led to service cuts, even if temporarily.

The new pay deal means that all employees at First York will from April 1 earn at least £12 an hour, compared to the government’s National Living Wage, which from that month will be £11.44ph for over 21s, compared with the current £10.42 for over 23s.

Parent company First Bus which also has depots in the county in Leeds, Bradford, Halifax and Huddersfield, says the rise in wage commitment will benefit 245 Yorkshire staff and 1,300 of its staff nationally.

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Once accredited, First Bus will become the UK’s largest national bus operator to pay the Real Living Wage, which is calculated annually and set independently by the Living Wage Foundation.

This wage is based on actual living costs rather than the median earnings calculations used for the government NLW.

First Bus also says it will go above and beyond to include its apprentices, by raising their wages to the RLW level over the next eighteen months, as the company aims to recognise the value it places on apprentices.

First Bus Managing Director, Janette Bell, said: “We are delighted to be working with the Living Wage Foundation and look forward to achieving our real Living Wage commitment. I am thrilled this will positively impact 1,300 of our colleagues with a pay rise from April 1st and that we are once again demonstrating to our people and the market that we care.

“Engaged employees encourage customers to travel more often. So, by treating our employees well, we are also helping to achieve our mission to get people out of their cars and onto the bus.

“We want First Bus to be a place where our people feel welcome, can be their true selves and succeed. It is vital that we do all we can to support our colleagues, and this is another important step in our transformation journey.”

Last Spring, First York, which has a fleet of around 80 buses in York, said it had increased pay rates for its 200 bus drivers in York. Its existing PCV holders last April saw rates increase from £13.90 to £14.35 an hour, with those in their first 6 months seeing an increase from £12.65 to £13.05 an hour.

First York is also investing heavily in ensuring all its buses in York are also electric, a move backed by subsidies from central government. The electric buses will mean its York depot is the first outside London to be fully-electric, the company has said.