A WHISTLEBLOWER has warned of public transport chaos in Swindon this Christmas due to a shortage of bus drivers. 

The Adver received an anonymous tip-off suggesting that disruption was likely on local Stagecoach services in Swindon because of a lack of drivers, with managers bringing in drivers from elsewhere to fill the gaps. 

As part of the tip-off, the Adver has seen an internal memo from a manager calling for current drivers to take on more overtime to cover gaps in its service. 

The Adver also saw a list of services for the week commencing Sunday, December 10 through to Saturday, December 16, showing that at least 84 routes did not have a driver assigned to them at the time. 

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Responding, Stagecoach has confirmed that there is a 'small' driver shortage in Swindon but has moved to reassure members of the public who might be relying on public transport to get around this festive season. 

The anonymous source added that loan drivers were being drafted in who did not know the area or the routes they were being given. 

They said: "Stagecoach services will be severely disrupted this Christmas due to driver shortage.

"Managers are bringing in loan drivers that don’t know routes and are drawing hand-drawn maps. Drivers are taking wrong turns or going the completely wrong way.

"It’s embarrassing for us regular drivers dealing with the fallout."

They added: "The public should be warned about Christmas so they can plan accordingly."

In a post shared to staff entitled 'overtime opportunities - December 2023' a leading driver said: "You will no doubt be aware that we have a great deal of uncovered work on a daily basis.

"The control team remain thankful for all of you who have been able to help out with additional duties, trips or parts."

It added: "This is an appeal to all drivers for any assistance that you are willing to provide during December."

But the managing director for Stagecoach, Rachel Geliamassi, has reassured bus users that there is nothing to worry about. 

She said: "We would like to reassure our passengers that we are fully committed to running a safe and reliable service and are proud to say that we delivered 98% of our mileage last week (December 3 - December 9) with only 1.3% of mileage lost to no driver.

"We are currently experiencing a small shortage of drivers in Swindon, which is also affected by short-term driver sickness due to the time of year. We can call on drivers to volunteer for overtime and we appreciate the support and commitment provided by the team.

"Experienced drivers from other locations have also been brought in to ensure we operate as much of our mileage as possible and minimise disruption for our customers.

"Asking for volunteers to do overtime is common practice across many industries, including ours and is in no way cause for concern.  Our valued customers can rest assured we’re doing everything we can to keep them moving and I’d like to thank our incredible teams for all their hard work in helping us do just that.”