Carousel Buses launch new bus services in Buckinghamshire

Carousel Buses has now launched a raft of new services, following the recent closure of Arriva’s High Wycombe and Aylesbury depots.

Numerous new services commenced on Sunday 28th July as part of Carousel Buses’ commitment to provide vital public transport links for residents. The operator stepped in to take on many services that were at risk following Arriva’s withdrawal.

Carousel Buses launched 14 new routes on Sunday, in addition to sister company Oxford Bus Company commencing the 280 service at the start of the month. Many of the routes are the same as Arriva, but some timetables and route numbers have changed.

The major expansion of Carousel Buses’ network followed a £2.5M investment in infrastructure and resources to take on the services. Carousel Buses held a series of recruitment days to develop its team and invested in training, an additional 35 vehicles and increased depot space in preparation.

Luke Marion, Managing Director of Carousel Buses, said: “It’s fantastic to see the new services go live, ensuring South Buckinghamshire and the surrounding areas continue to have the public transport network people need to get around sustainably.

“We’ve worked hard and quickly following the sad news of Arriva’s depot closures to reassure people and undertake the extensive investment and operational preparations required to deliver the services.

“This has included the creation of a large number of new jobs and a major investment in our fleet and depot to provide better vehicles and increased services for our customers. I hope people feel reassured that we are committed to making the new network a success and they support it on-going.

“Our thanks go to Buckinghamshire Council and all key stakeholders for supporting us as we worked towards a positive outcome. All the new services are detailed on our website and I’d encourage people to take a look for more information.”

Carousel Buses’ ‘Freeflow’ payment system is operational on all services, meaning passengers can benefit from ‘tap on, tap off’ pay-as-you-go technology. All existing Carousel Zone day, week and period products will continue to be issued and accepted across all services and will include all new routes that Carousel Buses will be operating. Customers can also use Wycombe SmartZone and Reading All-Bus multi-operator ticketing products, maintaining the current areas of validity. Arriva’s period products will not be valid for use on Carousel’s services, with Arriva advising that all customers holding these tickets request a refund.

All Carousel services will continue to be included in the Government's national £2 fare cap scheme, ensuring that passengers pay no more than £2 for a single journey.

The network changes aim to enhance cross-town connectivity and improve frequency and scheduling consistency, especially during peak hours and weekends. The full breakdown of Carousel’s new services in Buckinghamshire can be found here: https://www.carouselbuses.co.uk/new-carousel-buses-services-28th-july-2024

Carousel Buses, a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group, provides local bus services in and around South Buckinghamshire radiating from High Wycombe, where our depot is located. We're proud to be High Wycombe's local bus operator, providing fast, frequent and great value crosstown connections. Our buses serve a number of locations including Henley-on-Thames, Reading, Marlow, Beaconsfield, Gerrards Cross, Amersham, Chesham, Slough, Uxbridge and Heathrow Airport.