Driver shortages, delays and cancellations have pushed a High Wycombe bus company to the brink of a “crisis” according to a whistleblower who claims to have lifted the lid on the company’s “shortcomings”.

The insider – who did not want to be named for fear of retribution – says Carousel Buses are in a “near state of collapse” after experiencing a number of serious issues, with bus drivers facing the brunt of the anger from frustrated passengers.

They said: “The bosses employ staff but they can’t retain them. Pay and conditions are poor and now a lot of drivers are leaving.

“Drivers are faced with harassment and abuse from passengers who are fed up with the service every day. Buses just aren’t turning up.

“Hopefully after this, the public will realise that it is not the drivers’ fault but it’s down to poor decisions from management.”

The company currently operates around 36 buses in High Wycombe and surrounding areas including Windsor, Slough, Watford and Heathrow.

The source claims that on September 1, around a quarter of the company’s services were lost because of staff shortages.

They said: “It really is a terrible state of affairs. The drivers are being run ragged. People are angry because they don’t know when they will even be able to get on a bus. The Hicks Farm route is one of the worst affected.

“We have routes that follow on to other services and if there are delays, they affect a lot of different areas.

“It is a shame because it is a great company, but it really is at crisis point.”

Phil Southall, managing director at Carousel Buses, hit back at the claims of a “deeper problem” within the company but apologised for recent disruption to the service.

In a statement, he said: “An unforeseen driver shortage has been caused by staff sickness, at a time when a major road closure [an emergency closure of the A4155 in the Henley area] has meant operating three additional duplicate services to ensure pupils get to educational establishments.

"We have also introduced some new timetables for the school term, including the Hicks Farm route, which takes time for people to get used to.

"We are sorry to our valued customers and can assure people everything is being done to get back to normal as quickly as possible and thank people for their patience.

"Agency staff have been utilised where possible and some drivers are beginning to return from sickness. 

"Claims of a deeper problem are totally inaccurate, our staff are highly professional and committed. We are now running over 98 per cent of our services and a recent independent survey by Transport Focus scored customer satisfaction at 91 per cent."

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