London bus passengers are facing disruption this week because of a strike by drivers.

More than 2,000 members of the Unite union who are employed by French-owned RATP have walked out until Thursday.

RATP operates three subsidiaries across the London bus network – London United, London Sovereign and Quality Line.

Workers at London United, which provides bus services in south and west London, are on strike until Wednesday, while those at Quality Line, based at a depot in Epsom, Surrey, took action on Monday and Tuesday.

Unite members at London Sovereign, which runs services in north-west London, walked out on Monday and will do the same again on March 3.

Unite officer Michelle Braveboy said the strikes will cause “serious disruption” to services, adding that terms and conditions are being “attacked”, with some drivers facing a pay cut of £2,500 a year.

“Our members have no option other than to fight back against these attacks, while recognising the disruption caused,” she said.

“They are reluctant to take strike action at a time of national emergency, but feel they have been pushed against the wall.”

Transport for London (TfL) said industrial action will only affect a small proportion of the capital’s buses, with 59 day routes, six 24-hour routes, six night routes and nine school routes – mainly in south-west London – expected to be hit.

TfL said it will ensure as many bus services run as possible but customers in west, south-west and north-west London and parts of Surrey and Hertfordshire are advised to check before they travel.

Normal services are expected to resume on Thursday morning.

Claire Mann, director of Bus Operations at TfL, said: “Customers should check before they travel and leave more time for their journeys, while remembering the Government’s advice to continue to stay at home if they can.

“We urge all parties to sit down and talk through the issues to try and resolve them as soon as possible.”

What routes will be disrupted?

The London United routes which will be affected between Monday February 22 and Wednesday February 24 are: 18, 33, 65, 70, 71, 72, 85, 94, 110, 111, 116, 148, 203, 216, 220, 223, 224, 265, 266, 281, 283, 371, 406, 411, 418, 419, 423, 440, 613, 662, 665, 671, 681, 696, 697, 465, N18, N33, N65, N72, N266, C1, H22, H32, H37, H98, K1, K2, K3, K4 and K5

The Quality Line routes which will be affected are: 293, 404, 413, 463, 467, 470, 633, S1, S3

The London Sovereign routes which will be affected are: 79, 142, 183, 251, 258, 288, 303, 326, 395, 398, 642, N5, H9, H10, H11, H12, H14, H17, H18 and H19

The transport body has advised all passengers to check the status of their bus journey before they travel from Monday 22 February.

RATP was approached for comment but could not respond in time.