Carousel Buses Limited,[1]trading asCarousel Buses, is a bus company based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. Originally an independent company, it is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group. It is grouped together with Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel, both of Oxfordshire, and with Pulham's Coaches of Gloucestershire, with the fleets of each operator regularly interchanged.
In August 2003 route A40 High Wycombe to Heathrow Airport commenced, initially using second-hand Leyland Olympian double-deckers.[3] By April 2004 these had been replaced by new low-floor Mercedes-Benz Citaro single-deck buses, in a dedicated silver and red livery.[4] The route, which ran in partnership with Buckinghamshire County Council and Heathrow Airport Holdings, was formally introduced in January 2004.[5]
The company launched a new commercial route in June 2004, replacing services withdrawn by Arriva The Shires between High Wycombe and Lane End.[6]
In March 2008 Carousel introduced routes 35 and 36, branded as Purple Route, to replace a withdrawn Arriva Shires & Essex service to Flackwell Heath.[7] The 35 was temporarily withdrawn in January 2010 because of road conditions, but was later restored. Arriva Shires & Essex currently run a combined 35 service with Carousel, with Carousel operating all daytime services, and Arriva operating evening and Sunday journeys. [8] In October 2008 the majority of services to Winchmore Hill were withdrawn, leaving the village with just one bus a day.[9]
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. These routes have since changed to Red Rose Travel, linking Whelpley Hill and Ley Hill to Hilltop, Chesham Broadway, Chesham Bois, Amersham Station, Quill Hall Estate, Little Chalfont, Penn Street, Coleshill and Winchmore Hill, where Carousel no longer serves. [10]
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 incorporating Beaconsfield, and route 730 from Chesham to Heathrow Airport.[11]
A further change saw the existing route to Lane End replaced by new circular routes 2A and 2C in April 2010. These are no longer Carousel services[12]
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.[13] 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.[14][15]
On 3 June 2018, their 'Link' network became the 'Chiltern Hundreds'. (101/102 runs from High Wycombe to Uxbridge/Heathrow Airport, 103 runs from High Wycombe to Slough, 104 runs from High Wycombe to Uxbridge and 106/107 runs from Amersham to Slough.)
As of 25 July 2022 Carousel Buses have cut the Watford part of the 103 and cut the 103 back to Wycombe and Chesham with the reason being low passenger usage and in September is set to be extended to Slough with Chesham being cut. The Watford part has been replaced by Arriva's 336 Watford to Amersham and 335 Watford to Chorleywood.
Carousel also cut 105 Chesham to Uxbridge by extending 106/7 to Amersham with the reason being the same as 103. Route 40 also passed to Red Rose Travel with the same reason as 105 and 103. However route 102 has been extended back to London Heathrow and 101 has been reinstated after being suspended during Covid 19
As of September 2022, Carousels routes 35 and 36 have transferred to Arriva. With school route 39A being fully terminated due to lack of use. While carousel takes over the Route 1/1A/1B entirely. Carousel have also started a "PickMeUp" service, operating similar to Uber and funded in part by Buckinghamshire County Council.
As of 8 January 2023, the route 41 from Great Missenden railway station to High Wycombe bus station was transferred to Carousel [16] from Arriva Beds & Bucks (operating under Arriva Shires & Essex), the route was later extended to Amersham.[17] In August 2023, the 103 route was extended from Slough to Windsor as well as taking over route 275 between High Wycombe and Oxford from Red Rose.[18]
In May 2024 Arriva proposed the closure of their Aylesbury & High Wycombe depots, with Carousel Buses saying they would take over any withdrawn services.[19]
1/1A/1B- High Wycombe Bus Station, Hazlemere, Penn Street and Winchmore Hill (1B only), Amersham, Chesham, Pond Park Estate (1A/1B only), Bovingdon, Hemel Hempstead (1 to Hemel Hempstead Mondays to Saturdays Only) (1A to Hemel Hempstead Sundays/Bank Holidays only).
36 - High Wycombe Bus Station, Daws Hill Lane, Amersham & Wycombe College (Flackwell Heath), Flackwell Heath, Bourne End Station (Marlow Hill Schools served on return journey to Wycombe)
37 - High Wycombe Bus Station, Cookham, Bourne Heath, Wooburn Green, Maidenhead
41 - High Wycombe Bus Station, Hazlemere, Widmer End, Great Kingshill, Prestwood, Great Missenden, Amersham
102 - High Wycombe Bus Station, Beaconsfield, Crowne Plaza, Gerrads Cross, Tatling End, Denham, Uxbridge, The Greenway, Lees Road, Stockley Road, Heathrow Central Bus Station
103 - High Wycombe Bus Station, Beaconsfield, Beaconsfield Services, Farnham Common, Farnham Royal, Farnham Road, Three Tuns, Slough, Windsor
104 - High Wycombe Bus Station, Beaconsfield, Seer Green, The Chalfonts, Gerrads Cross, Tatling End, Denham, Uxbridge
106/107 - Amersham, Little Chalfont, Chalfont St. Giles, Chalfont Common, Chalfont St. Peter, Gerrards Cross, Fulmer (107), Windsor Road (106), Hollybush Hill, Stoke Poges (107), Wexham Street (106), Wexham Park Hospital, Knolton Way, Slough
275 - High Wycombe Bus Station, Bledlow Ridge, Chinnor, Postcombe, Tetsworth, Wheatley, Oxford City Centre
581 - Uxbridge, Denham Village, Higher Denham, Wyatts Covert Caravan Site, Denham Garden Village, Denham Station
583 - Hedgerley, The Farnhams, Farnham Road, Three Tuns, Slough, Wexham Park Hospital, George Green, Langley Harrow, Richings Park, Iver, Iver Heath, Uxbridge,
800/850 - High Wycombe Bus Station, Cressex, Marlow, Medmenham, Henley-on-Thames, Wargrave (850), Twyford (850), North Earley (850), Lower Shiplake (800), Binfield Heath (800), Caversham, Reading
Former Routes
34 - Coachway (off peak only), Abbey Barn Park, London Road, Bowerdean Road, Totteridge Road, High Wycombe Railway Station, High Wycombe Bus Station (off peak only)
35 - High Wycombe Bus Station - Wycombe Marsh - Flackwell Heath
36B & 36S (School Journeys) - Same route as the 36, 36B was extended to serve Wooburn Moor and 36S was extended to serve Penn
40 - High Wycombe Bus Station, West Wycombe, Piddington, Stokenchurch, Chinnor, Thame
580 - High Wycombe Bus Station (first and last bus only), Beaconsfield, Jordans Village (Tuesday and Fridays only), The Chalfonts, Gerrards Cross, Tatling End, Denham, Uxbridge
582 (Saturdays Only) - Wyatts Covert Caravan Site, Denham Garden Village, Denham Station, Denham Village, Iver Heath, Slough, Windsor
Related Research Articles
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the east, Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, and Oxfordshire to the west. The largest settlement is the city of Milton Keynes, and the county town is Aylesbury.
High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe, is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is 29 miles (47 km) west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, 13 miles (21 km) south-southeast of Aylesbury, 23 miles (37 km) southeast of Oxford, 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Reading and 8 miles (13 km) north of Maidenhead.
Uxbridge is a London Underground station in Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, West London. The station is the terminus of the Uxbridge branches of both the Metropolitan line and the Piccadilly line. The next station towards London is Hillingdon. The station is 15.5 miles (25 km) west of Charing Cross and is in Travelcard Zone 6. The closest station on the Chiltern Line and Central line is West Ruislip, accessible by the U1 and U10 buses. The closest station on the Elizabeth line is West Drayton, accessible by the U1, U3, U5 and 222 buses. Uxbridge was formerly the terminus of a branch of the District line which ran from Ealing Common; the Piccadilly line took over in 1933.
Chalfont St Peter is a large village and civil parish in southeastern Buckinghamshire, England. It is in a group of villages called The Chalfonts which also includes Chalfont St Giles and Little Chalfont. The villages lie between High Wycombe and Rickmansworth. Chalfont St Peter is one of the largest villages, with nearly 13,000 residents. The urban population for Chalfont St Peter and Gerrards Cross is 19,622, the two villages being considered a single area by the Office for National Statistics.
Holmer Green is a village in the civil parish of Little Missenden, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is next to Hazlemere, about 3 miles (5 km) south of Great Missenden.
Beaconsfield is a constituency in Buckinghamshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Joy Morrissey of the Conservative Party. She succeeded Independent and former Conservative Dominic Grieve, whom she defeated following his suspension from the party. The constituency was established for the February 1974 general election.
Chesham and Amersham is a parliamentary constituency in Buckinghamshire, South East England, represented in the House of Commons by Sarah Green, a Liberal Democrat elected at a 2021 by-election.
Arriva Herts & Essex is a bus operator providing services in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire, with services extending to Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Greater London. Until 2002 its operations included Colchester. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus.
South Buckinghamshire was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Buckinghamshire, England. From 1950 to 1974, it returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.
Berkshire College of Agriculture is a further education agricultural college at Hall Place in Burchetts Green, Maidenhead, Berkshire. It was founded in 1949, as the Berkshire Institute of Agriculture. It has been part of the Windsor Forest Colleges Group since August 2022.
Green Line route 724 is a bus service currently operated by Arriva Herts & Essex as part of the Green Line Coaches network. It runs on an orbital route round the north and western outskirts of London between Harlow and Heathrow Central bus station, and is partly funded by airport operator Heathrow Airport Holdings.
First Beeline Buses Limited, trading as First Beeline, is a bus operator providing services in and around Slough. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup.
Heathrow Central bus station is a large bus station that serves terminals 2 and 3 of Heathrow Airport, in London, England. It provides urban bus and long-distance coach services to destinations in London and to regional destinations across Britain. It is the UK's busiest bus and coach station with over 1,600 services each day to over 1,000 destinations. An estimated 13% of air passengers using Heathrow Airport use bus and coach services from Heathrow Central bus station.
London Country North West was a bus operator in South East England and London. It was formed from the split of London Country Bus Services in 1986, and operated a fleet of around 360 buses from five garages, with its headquarters located in Garston.
Woottens Luxury Travel was a coach operating company based in Buckinghamshire, England. It was formed in 1999 by Michael Wootten, and between 2008 and 2011 operated local bus services under the name Tiger Line. The company became part of the Bowen Travel Group in 2011, and closed down after Bowen entered administration in 2012.
The 2015–16 season was the 113th in the history of the Southern League, which is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales. From the 2014–15 season onwards, the Southern League is known as Evo-Stik League Southern, following a sponsorship deal with Evo-Stik.
The Great Western Combination was a football league in south-central England.
Laurence David Craker was an English footballer and manager who played as a midfielder. As a player, Craker played in the Third Division and the Fourth Division with Watford.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
