Arriva Yorkshire says it's 'genuinely sorry' for Leeds bus delays - citing driver shortages and roadworks

The bus operator said shortages of bus drivers and “extensive roadworks” across the region have impacted its routes in recent months and that it was taking “priority action” to review its timetables.

Arriva buses in Leeds and across Yorkshire were cancelled during a drivers’ strike over the summer. The long-running industrial action ended in July after drivers employed by the company accepted a new pay offer.

In a statement released this week, Arriva Yorkshire said it was still experiencing “serious challenges”, particularly for services serving Leeds city centre. The company said it had launched a recruitment campaign to sign up new drivers, as well as making timetable changes in the New Year.

A spokesperson said: “In recent months, some of our services across Yorkshire have unfortunately been impacted by the well documented national bus driver shortage. Added to this, our bus services have been negatively affected by extensive roadworks in place across the region, particularly along key routes which serve Leeds City Centre.

"This has resulted in serious challenges on the delivery of our timetabled services on a daily basis across the region. We want to assure you, our customers, we’re exploring every avenue possible to rectify this situation. We’re mindful of how negatively we are affecting our customers and our communities every day, and for this are we genuinely sorry.

"In the coming weeks, we’ll continue to keep our customers and stakeholders updated on our plans and timelines of changes being implemented.”