ANGRY parents have called out Arriva after problems with their kids' school buses. 

Frustrated parents reached out to the Free Press after the Arriva school services didn’t show up or went the wrong way.

Wooburn Green mum Dianne Coles said his 11-year-old son's travel alone on the new 5A school service “started badly”.

She said: “For the first three journeys he tried to make, twice it didn’t turn up for the return journey and on one occasion went the wrong way.”

Twice on his return journey from Marlow Hill Schools to Loudwater Boundary Road, the driver went the wrong way at Flackwell Heath, she said.

The second time it happened, he was “quicker and brave enough to tell the driver he had gone the wrong way, and the bus was turned round,” Dianne said.

Dad Michael Goodman said his 15-year-old son’s 7.51am service 6 to High Wycombe Schools hasn’t turned up “at least six times in the past two weeks.” In the afternoons back to Bourne End, the single deck bus is often “too small” and his son can’t fit in, even when’s he’s arrived at the stop “in good time,” Michael explained.

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Both parents were troubled by “ghost” buses. Often, a bus would show up on the app but disappear suddenly just before it’s due to arrive, making it too late for the children to catch another one and leaving the parents “frantically” messaging each other to organise alternative transport for groups of children.

“These boys are 11, it’s getting darker earlier and the service we are relying on to get our children to and from school is not functioning,” she added.

Michael said he had complained to Arriva and received a refund for the bus tickets, but “the wider issue is the lack of and disappearing bus service for a critical time in the morning that provides critical transport to school.”

“Arriva is failing to get school kids to school in the mornings and this must be fixed as soon as possible,” he added.

A spokesperson for Arriva South said: “We’re truly sorry for the issues that have impacted these pupils getting to school.

“We had severe mechanical problems, which affected a significant amount of our fleet.

“Our engineering team are working on this and it is of high importance to us as a bus operator, but it is not a quick-fix.

“In order to try and help pupils, we are prioritising all school services, so the issues that have affected them should be reduced.

“As far as the issue about a driver going the wrong way, that was an isolated incident, but we have re-educated our drivers and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

The complaints come only two months after Arriva launched new routes and more frequent service in the High Wycombe area. 

Have you been affected by bus issues? Contact noora.mykkanen@newsquest.co.uk