Jobs could be lost and bus routes cut in Northamptonshire following an announcement by First Buses.
An internal memo which has been seen by the Chron suggests jobs could be lost at the bus company’s Northampton depot due to the impact of the recession on the transport industry.
The memo also suggests some bus services could be cut, but does not say which.
It said: “It is with regret that I have to inform you that we are proposing to discontinue a number of services in Northampton.
“We have begun the collective consultation process with the trade unions on the possibility of some redundancies at our Northampton depot.
“I can appreciate this is unsettling news for the employees at this depot and it will also be unwelcome news for our customers who use these routes.”
The staff memo suggested cuts to services in Northampton are needed to secure the long term future of First’s operation in the town.
It said: “Some of our routes in Northampton have under-performed for some years.
“We are now faced with extra cost pressures due to the economic climate and cuts in external funding to bus operators.
“Unfortunately, in this instance it means we need to discontinue services in order to ensure the long term sustainability of our operations.
“We are working through a detailed plan to recover performance in our UK bus division and equip the business to achieve sustainable growth and improved returns.
“While we have to face the fact that we are living in challenging times, we will only consider taking action such as this after we have made every effort to seek out alternatives and I am truly sorry that we now have to propose the possibility of making some redundancies.”
A spokesman for the bus company confirmed to the Chron that cuts were being considered due to the economic climate.
She said: “Following a review of our Northampton business, we have announced that reductions to services may be necessary to ensure the long term sustainability of our operations.
“This is obviously unsettling news and we have begun the consultation process with colleagues at the Northampton depot.”