Families have expressed their frustration with Arriva as the cost of taking the same route has almost doubled due to the removal of Arriva’s Aylesbury bus pass. Anticipating a decline in demand, Arriva has removed its Aylesbury pass after cancelling two of its key services in the town: its buses going to High Wycombe , and buses travelling from Aylesbury to Oxford via Thame. Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to Bucks Herald, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
But, Arriva does still run buses in the Aylesbury area, its services between the county town and Hemel Hempstead , as well as its Milton Keynes to Aylesbury route have continued. Those services can be run from still operational depots in Hemel Hempstead and Milton Keynes. Prices have risen from £480 for the year in total, to £710 for the exact same service in some cases.
As children who only needed an academic bus pass for Aylesbury are now forced to buy the more expensive Orbit option as it is the only one available. Adults making similar short trips using Arrivas remaining Aylesbury buses will also need to purchase an annual Orbit pass which is priced at £1,080. Frustrated parents whose children use the X5 service between Hemel Hempstead and Aylesbury service contacted The Bucks Herald feeling they have been unfairly punished for the international company’s decision to scale back its services in Aylesbury.
Their children rely on the Arriva buses to get from Aston Clinton to the Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School, and Tring School from the same village. Arriva, which closed its depots in High Wycombe and Aylesbury after announcing neither were profitable ventures, said it would review the situation. Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for Arriva South told The Bucks Herald: “The closure of the Aylesbury depot resulted in a reduced coverage in the area and therefore the saver fares.
“We do understand that the impact of the depot closure has also affected customers buying season tickets. “We are listening to what customers are telling us and we will review the situation, but at this time, we do not have plans to introduce any different tickets.”.
