A SOUTHAMPTON bus operator has slashed a handful of its city centre services – leaving pensioners 'waiting in excess of 45 minutes'.

First has made changes to its City Red 1, 2, 3, and 11 timetables due to a lack of drivers.

It has also significantly reduced the frequency of the number 9 bus, which will now only operate every 75 minutes.

But resident Alan Cahill has slammed the company. He told the Echo: "It may have gone unnoticed that Southampton First Bus have introduced a swathe.of changes to their bus timetables.

"One of the changes is to the No 9 service which operates from City Centre to Bitterne via Woolston and the Merryoak estate. With immediate effect the bus frequency has reduced to every 75 mins.

"I am lucky that I am able to access the new times on the internet. This morning I saw an elderly lady waiting for a bus to Bitterne.

"When I informed her that there was no bus for 40 mins she was distraught. A lot of pensioners got on at Bishops Crescent having waited in excess of 45 mins for a bus.

"In addition there are no details of the new timings at bus stops or in the buses. Shame on you First Bus."

All the timetable changes are detailed on the City Red website.

A spokesperson said: “We are very sorry that this customer was upset. Along with the rest of the bus industry and other road transport businesses, we are experiencing a shortage of bus drivers.

"To mitigate the current shortage and ensure our customers can plan their journeys with confidence, we have made some timetable adjustments to our Southampton services.

"These changes are intended to minimise disruption for our customers so that they can plan their travel with more certainty.

"However, other services changes, such as the new cross-city City Red 2, should make customers’ journeys easier."

There are no changes planned to City Red 6, 8 and 13.

Service changes are as follows:

City Red 1

Service to operate every half hour on Monday to Saturdays; diverted to serve the south side of Central Station, and will terminate at West Quay. Sunday service has been withdrawn.

City Red 2

City Red 2 has combined with City Red 11 to provide through journeys between Weston, Woolston, City, Central Station, Shirley and Millbrook, saving customers the need to change buses in the city centre.

It operates every 10 minutes Monday to Friday, 12 minutes on Saturdays and 15 minutes on Sundays.

City Red 3

The timetable has been revised to improve punctuality - the Monday to Friday timetable amended to operate every 12 minutes during the day at off-peak times.