STAGECOACH will introduce an emergency schedule on several Swindon services from Monday after admitting it is in the midst of a staffing crisis.

The company is currently working at just 75 per cent strength, after a rush of resignations were filed in the last three months.

It is 20 drivers short of a total of 80 needed and is having to reduce the regularity of the number 6, 7, 8 and 72 buses.

Commercial director for Stagecoach Swindon and District, Phil Stockley, today apologised to passengers for the poor service offered recently and for any inconvenience caused by the revised timetable.

But after receiving countless complaints in recent months and a letter of complaint from South Swindon MP Julia Drown, he insisted the firm is now determined to solve its reliability problems once and for all.

"We realise we are not doing a tremendously good job at the moment," he admitted.

"But there are a whole host of action plans which we are putting in place to tackle the problem head-on.

"We know there have been times before when we have had problems, then improved for a while only to slip back again, but we are determined the improvements will be for good this time we are taking this very seriously."

The new schedule means the number 6 to Kingsdown, 7 to Highworth and 72 to Wroughton services will now run every 20 minutes rather than 15 and the number 8 to Freshbrook will run every 15 minutes rather than 10.

One passenger who has grown frustrated with the service is 31-year-old hairdresser Paula Sharpe.

She has to catch the number 70 bus from Chiseldon to Swindon town centre and then on to work in Gorse Hill every day.

Yesterday, she was more than an hour late after the bus failed to turn up at Chiseldon.

"It's got absolutely ridiculous," she said. "This is the umpteenth time it's happened."

Passengers who can prove they have been inconvenienced by recent unreliability can apply for compensation, Mr Stockley confirmed. He claimed a number of factors had caused the staffing crisis, including the high employment rate in the town . The firm will be looking at all aspects of the employment package offered to drivers as part of the action plans.

Drivers are currently paid between £5.55 and £6 an hour at Stagecoach the same as at Thamesdown Transport.

Ms Drown said: "They are saying the right things, but I'm not going to be convinced by Stagecoach until we see some action to get a reliable bus service."