CHANGSHA - Bus drivers in Shaoyang city in Central China's Hunan province went on strike Tuesday, leaving most of the city's bus service suspended, sources with a local bus company confirmed.

As of 3 pm, the strike was still continuing. Citizens complained that downtown public transport has been affected as they struggled to find buses on the street. Some of them told Xinhua that the bus drivers staged the strike due to a dispute over welfare benefits.

The number of the drivers participating in the strike is unknown.

All buses operating in Shaoyang city are owned by the Shaoyang Yangzi Bus Co Ltd, which was established in 2003. According to statistics from 2011, the company had a total of 330 buses in operation.