Bus cancellations across Essex after mass quitting of drivers
Hedingham & Chambers have had to cancel major bus journeys
Last updated 13th Sep 2021
Bus services are being cancelled across Essex due to a shortage in bus drivers.
Hedingham & Chambers has had to cancel many of its routes after losing several of its employees.
Bus drivers are leaving for higher paying jobs like lorry driving and deliveries, where there is a national shortage.
In addition, a delay from the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA) in issuing provisional licences for bus drivers has meant the company lost many of the people they had hoped to recruit over the summer.
The company have shared a list of journeys that are not running, most of which have an alternative route with an additional travel time of 15 minutes.
Managing director of Hedingham & Chambers Jeremy Cooper said:
"The journey may not be as convenient, and we’re sorry about that. But we hope they’ll understand and if we give them some notice, are able to re-plan and change the time of their journey."
Peak-time journeys between Clacton and Walton have been cancelled, as well as many journeys on Saturdays.
However, most cancellations have been at off-peak times.
The company is working hard to train new staff, but the cancellations are expected to continue for a number of weeks.
Mr Cooper said he is grateful for the hard work of the remaining bus drivers:
"The people who our there driving the buses are our loyal people who stayed with us, and they have worked very hard at trying to keep the service going.
"But obviously this is creating extra pressure at a time that is already a very busy time of year for us."
You can keep up to date on latest changes and alternative bus journeys here