Politicians in South Cambs have expressed their dismay after more than 280 Stagecoach bus journeys were cancelled at short notice and a new timetable saw further disruption.
Speaking on Saturday, Pippa Heylings, Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for South Cambs, described the cancellations as "atrocious".
She said: "I am rightly horrified by the behaviour of Stagecoach to suddenly cancel 280 bus journeys with no advance notice, leaving residents, families and key workers stranded throughout the day.
"Where is the respect? Where is the 'service' in bus service? If they had respect for their clients, the passengers, then they would have given advance notice.
"If the real reason is the national skills shortage, then surely any business would have been able to predict this scale of shortage of drivers?
"This is shoddy and disgraceful - and has led to this being a real horror of a Halloween for so many people who need the bus to get to work, to the shops, to see elderly loved ones, so many needs and reasons."
Yesterday was the first day under Stagecoach's new bus timetables.
South Cambs MP Anthony Browne has complained about the bus service (Image: Courtesy of Anthony Browne)
South Cambs MP Anthony Browne heard from constituents that there were multiple delays and cancellations, as well as overcrowding.
Mr Browne said: "Teething problems are inevitable, but these delays and cancellations have had a profound impact on residents across my constituency."
Ross Barton, operations director from Stagecoach East, said: "We can only apologise to customers affected by these cancellations. It is incredibly frustrating, and we are sorry. Driver shortages across the industry continue to be a major issue.
"On Saturday, nine out of 10 services ran, and throughout October, 95 per cent of services operated across Cambridgeshire, but this was a particularly bad day which we did everything we could to try and avoid and we are working hard to avoid happening again in the future.
"When cancellations do happen, we always try to give advanced warning, usually the night before, and get cover where possible.
"The new bus network we have developed in line with the Government’s requirements is now in place, and along with a continued focus on recruiting and training new drivers, we hope this will help improve the situation.
"We are committed to providing an efficient and effective service."
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