Carousel Buses celebrates 25 years of serving Buckinghamshire’s roads

Carousel Buses celebrated 25 years of service with a special event at its High Wycombe depot. 

Former and current members of the team, including every managing director that has led the company, attended the special event along with several local stakeholders and partners. 

A vintage MCW Metrobus vehicle which was one of the first used by Carousel when it began operations was also on display to help celebrate the landmark date. 

Founded in 2000, Carousel Buses was born from humble beginnings and started with two secondhand Metrobuses which initially covered school and rail replacement services.

Today, the business has a fleet of more than 100 vehicles and employs over 200 people who deliver 38 services spanning Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Surrey.

Luke Marion, Managing Director of Carousel Buses, said: “This is a significant milestone in Carousel’s history and everyone who has served the company can feel great pride in the achievement. 

“It was a great opportunity to reflect on the growth of the business and how it has become a successful cross-county operation. Bus networks are the beating heart of communities and provide vital connectivity for people travelling for leisure, work and education. 

“I’m looking forward to continuing to serve our passengers and enhancing our network for years to come.” 

Twelve years after it was founded, Carousel Buses was purchased by the Go-Ahead Group – one of the UK’s largest bus operators – for £3.1M.

Since March 2012, Carousel Buses’ fleet has been based at its current depot on Hughenden Avenue, High Wycombe. Additional routes to Reading, Henley-on-Thames, Amersham, Slough, Windsor, Maidenhead the Chalfonts and Great Missenden have been added in the past decade. 

The service between High Wycombe, Beaconsfield and Heathrow Airport - which was the company’s first local service route - has been expanded and enhanced under the Flightline brand, in partnership with the airport.

But the company’s biggest shift occurred in May 2024 when it invested £2.5M into the infrastructure and resource required to acquire services formerly operated by Arriva, after it announced its regional closure. It resulted in more than 80 new staff and 35 vehicles joining Carousel Buses, and a major expansion of the Hughenden Avenue site with the company moving into the adjoining premises and adding a new bus wash, enlarged fuelling facilities and an expanded workshop. 

Another significant development was the launch of Carousel Buses’ PickMeUp service in September 2022. This innovative on-demand minibus scheme enables passengers to be collected and dropped off at their requested locations. Currently in its final year of a three-year pilot programme, plans are being developed to continue the service into 2026.

Carousel Buses also launched its first Brand the Bus giving back competition in January this year, where good causes in Buckinghamshire could apply to have their branding emblazoned on an electric double-decker vehicle, as part of a prize worth £60,000. 

Thames Valley Air Ambulance was announced as the inaugural winner in June, with Chiltern Music Academy and Wycombe Homeless Connection winning runner-up prizes. 

Mr Marion added: “People have been at the heart of Carousel Buses’ development since our first services were rolled out at the beginning of the millennium.

“So, expanding our team and services in the past year, just ahead of our 25-year anniversary, feels apt.

“Thank you to everyone who has used and continues to travel with Carousel Buses, and we look forward to serving our communities for the next 25 years.”

Further information about Carousel Buses and its services is available online via www.carouselbuses.co.uk.