Service type Bus services Parent organization Go-Ahead Group Founded 2000 | Routes 15 Headquarters High Wycombe Fleet 38 | |
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Service area Buckinghamshire
Hertfordshire
Greater London Website www.carouselbuses.co.uk | ||
full kickdown carousel buses 103 snz1103 t103dbw alexander alx400 trident route 336
Carousel Buses is a bus company based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group.
Contents
History
Carousel Buses was formed in 2000. It initially expanded by winning Buckinghamshire County Council contracts.
In August 2003 route A40 High Wycombe to Heathrow Airport commenced, initially using second-hand Leyland Olympian double-deckers. By April 2004 these had been replaced by new low-floor Mercedes-Benz Citaro single-deck buses, in a dedicated silver and red livery. The route, which runs in partnership with Buckinghamshire County Council and Heathrow Airport Holdings, was formally introduced in January 2004.
The company launched a new commercial route in June 2004, replacing services withdrawn by Arriva Shires & Essex between High Wycombe and Lane End.
In March 2008 Carousel introduced routes 35 and 36, branded as Purple Route, to replace a withdrawn Arriva Shires & Essex service to Flackwell Heath. The 35 was temporarily withdrawn in January 2010 because of road conditions, but was later restored. In October 2008 the majority of services to Winchmore Hill were withdrawn, leaving the village with just one bus a day.
In August 2009 route 336, which had previously run between Watford and Amersham, was extended to High Wycombe reinstating a through link for the first time in 30 years. The network of routes linking Chesham and Amersham, numbered 373, 374 and 375, were rationalised into two routes, the 71 and 73, running hourly between the two locations.
In September 2009 two new routes were introduced, route 740 supplemented the A40 between High Wycombe and Uxbridge, increasing the overall frequency to every 30 minutes and route 730 from Chesham to Heathrow Airport.
A further change saw the existing route to Lane End replaced by new circular routes 2A and 2C in April 2010.
In March 2012 Carousel Buses was purchased by the Go-Ahead Group. Carousel retains its identity, with its management passing to the group's Oxford Bus Company operation. Go-Ahead had previously operated services in the High Wycombe area under the Wycombe Bus name, but sold this operation to Arriva in December 2000.
Fleet
As at September 2013 the fleet consisted of 38 buses. The fleet is numbered in the Oxford Bus Company series.