Talks between Arriva North West and union officials are set to continue today, with Southport bus routes temporarily halted.
Arriva North West drivers went on strike on Wednesday 20th July and bosses at the under-fire transport company say talks are no nearer to an agreement.
The strike will continue until an agreement is reached on pay.
Arriva say an 8.5% pay rise has been offered to staff, but senior union officials say this offer is spread out over time.
Vital services which take residents to and from Southport hospital have stopped, among dozens of others.
Taxi services are feeling the strain with people waiting over an hour in some instances for a cab because of the extra demand on services.
One OTS reader said they waited over an hour and a half for a taxi to take them from Tesco Kew back to their Marshside home on Saturday afternoon.
An Arriva spokesperson said “We are disappointed for our customers to confirm that the strike will be continuing into next week.
“Our union partners have confirmed they will resume talks.
“We urge the union to suspend the strike whilst we work to resolve the dispute.”
Unite said: “Deutsche Bahn, the German-state owned, owner of Arriva is the biggest and richest transport company in the world.
Over the last 10 years, Deutsche Bahn has banked £5.9 billion in profits and paid out dividends of £4.3 billion to the German government.
“The drivers aren’t asking for much. They just want to be able to support their families and not worry about being unable to afford their bills.
“Arriva can easily afford to pay better.”
The company has seen approximately 1,800 staff, including around 1,000 drivers, walk out.
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