Carousel Buses



Carousel Buses is a bus company based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England which operates a fleet of around 50 vehicles on a network of local and inter-urban bus services. Formed as an independent operator in 2000, it was taken over by the Go-Ahead Group in March 2012.

History
Carousel Buses was formed in 2000. It initially expanded by winning county council contracts.

Route A40, which links High Wycombe with Heathrow Airport, began operation in August 2003, 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 By April 2004 these had been replaced by new low-floor Mercedes-Benz Citaro single-deck buses, in a dedicated silver and red livery.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 airport owner BAA, was formally introduced in January 2004.

The company launched a new commercial route in June 2004, replacing withdrawn journeys on the Arriva Shires & Essex between High Wycombe and Lane End, although some residents criticised the morning peak service provided.

In March 2008 Carousel introduced routes 35 and 36, branded as Purple Route, to replace a withdrawn Arriva Shires & Essex service to Flackwell Heath. This followed a petition by residents to have the service reinstated, and was run under contract to the county council. The 35 was temporarily withdrawn in January 2010 because of road conditions, but was later restored. Seven months later the company withdrew the majority of its service to Winchmore Hill, 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 in a move which reinstated a through link not present for the previous thirty 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.

The company expanded in September 2009 when two new route were introduced. Route 740 supplemented the A40 between High Wycombe and Uxbridge, increasing the overall frequency to every 30 minutes. A totally new route, A30, linked Chesham to Heathrow.

A further change saw the existing route to Lane End replaced by new circular routes 2A and 2C in April 2010.

In September 2010, Carousel Buses introduced four new MAN 14.240 buses with Enviro200 bodywork onto route 4, becoming the first operator in Buckinghamshire to operate 60-plate vehicles.

On 20 February 2012 it was announced that the Go-Ahead Group are to acquire Carousel. The move, which was completed on 3 March 2012 for an undisclosed fee, followed Go-Ahead's acquisition of Thames Travel a year earlier. Carousel retained 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 2000.

As of March 2012 the fleet has been re-numbered into the Oxford Bus Company series due to the common management. Prior to this the fleet was numbered in a 'London Buses' style with Class codes.

Routes
Carousel Buses operate the following scheduled services:


 * A30: Chesham - Amersham - Gerrards Cross - Uxbridge - Heathrow Airport
 * A40/740: High Wycombe - Beaconsfield - Gerrards Cross - Uxbridge - Heathrow Airport
 * 1: High Wycombe - Holmer Green - Amersham - Chesham - Pond Park. Carousel Buses share this route with Arriva
 * 3: High Wycombe - Sir William Ramsay School (school service)
 * 5: Downley - Sir William Ramsay School (school service)
 * 21A: Aylesbury - Princes Risborough - St Bernard's Catholic School (school service)
 * 27: Wycombe General Hospital - High Wycombe - Rayners Avenue
 * 35: High Wycombe - Loudwater - Flackwell Heath
 * 36: High Wycombe - Flackwell Heath - Bourne End
 * 38/39 Orange routes (recently won from Arriva the Shires)
 * 74: High Wycombe - Beaconsfield - Slough (Sunday service only)
 * 336: High Wycombe - Beaconsfield - Amersham - Rickmansworth - Watford
 * 400: Marlow Hill - Flackwell Heath - Wye Valley School (school service)
 * 577: Hazlemere - Penn - Beaconsfield (school service)
 * 580: High Wycombe - Beaconsfield - Seer Green - Uxbridge
 * 581: Beaconsfield - Gerrards Cross - Denham - Uxbridge
 * 582: Higher Denham - Slough - Windsor (Saturday service only)
 * 643: Stokenhurch - Marlow Hill Schools - High Wycombe (school service)
 * 651: Ibstone - Marlow Hill Schools - High Wycombe (school service)