March 1, 2001 9:14: A WOMAN who relies on public transport says she is sick of waiting for 45 minutes for a bus at the end of a long day when the service is supposed to run every ten minutes.

Celia Cook, 38, from Herbert Road, Micklefield, works for the Civil Service Sports Council in the accounts department.

She has to travel from Micklefield to Oxford Road, High Wycombe, for work and said: "Instead of running at just before 7am, 7.09, 7.19 and 7.29 there is maybe the bus before 7am, then 7.15 then sometimes the next bus runs at 7.39am. Then to top it all, a small bus turns up and everyone has to stand.

"The story is just as bad in the evening. Many evenings I have had to wait up to 45 minutes for a bus.

"I thought I'd give Arriva a chance to get things together after taking over from the Wycombe Bus Company but it is getting worse."

David Shadbolt, spokesman for Arriva, said: "The first thing I want to do is apologise to the people who have been kept waiting. We had a shortage of vehicles and that was coupled with our on-going staff shortage. It did mean the cancellation of some services."

Mr Shadbolt said the company was planning to make the service more reliable and hoped to be introducing larger buses in April.