Arriva to drop bus routes due to lack of drivers

Arriva's performance has been critisised by the Mayor of West Yorkshire

A bus company has confirmed that it will cut a number of routes in West Yorkshire because of a shortage of drivers.

Arriva has informed the region's Mayor that it will not bid again for some of the local authority contracts it holds to provide services when the current agreements expire in February.

The operator said it had struggled to deliver the level of service required and wanted to focus on its remaining routes.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said Arriva's reliability had caused serious issues among bus users in Wakefield and that passengers had put up with a "terrible service".

Brabin clarified that commuters in Wakefield did not have as much "choice" of services as those living in other areas of the county.

She criticised Arriva for "salami slicing" their routes and withdrawing some weekend buses.

Brabin added that she hoped the situation would improve once West Yorkshire's bus services had been taken back under public control, a process which should be completed by 2028.

She confirmed that the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) had provided funding towards driver recruitment and training but that only a small number of new drivers had joined Arriva.

Arriva stated that the services affected by the changes in 2025 included the 21/22 between Seacroft and Castleford, the 517 from Halifax to Shelf and the 212 between Dewsbury and Wakefield.

The company said further alterations to timetables were being finalised and would be announced in the coming weeks.

It added that due to the ongoing driver shortage, it was "essential" to improve existing services rather than operating tenders awarded by local councils.

Kim Cain, area director for Arriva Yorkshire, said: “We’re sorry that our customers and communities haven’t received the service they rightly expect from us.

“We’re determined to improve things, which is why we’re making these changes and we’ll keep our customers updated with any further news as soon as we’re able to.

“We’re working in partnership with the local transport authorities to ensure that the impact is minimised.”

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