Bus firm set to take over axed routes seeks drivers

The MP for Aylesbury Rob Butler said he was "extremely concerned" by the proposed changes

A bus company stepping in to run services that are due to be axed is recruiting for more drivers.

Arriva announced it was consulting on plans to shut the Aylesbury and High Wycombe depots in Buckinghamshire and reduce the existing services as they were no longer profitable.

Subsequently, another transport company, Carousel Buses, said it would operate routes in Wycombe.

It said more staff were needed due to the "major expansion" of its business.

The operator said both depots proposed for closure were loss-making

Arriva services that run between High Wycombe and villages in Buckinghamshire, such as Penn, Bourne End and Downley, are at risk of operations ending.

Routes that run between Aylesbury and Oxford or High Wycombe could also come to an end.

Arriva said following a consultation period the earliest date closures could go ahead would be 27 July.

It said it hoped to avoid redundancies by re-deploying staff to other locations in the UK.

Carousel buses said it was holding "a special fast-track recruitment day to fill additional vacancies which have been created by the major expansion in business".

Luke Marion, its managing director, said: "We appreciate a lot of staff at Arriva will be impacted by this sad news and we’d like to provide reassurance that there are opportunities available."

The bus company, which is a subsidiary of the Go Ahead Group, already operates 50 buses in High Wycombe and Buckinghamshire.

It said it would provide new services on several of the threatened Arriva routes from the date of closure.