Bus passengers were left stranded in Bristol city centre after the driver walked off and said nobody else would be coming to replace him.
The 75 bus heading to Cribbs Causeway pulled up to the bay at the Beefeater on Tuesday before the driver got off and told passengers no one else would take his place.
A 38-year-old passenger named Adam, who pays £73 a month for the service, said company First Bus has been "consistently bad" for months.
He told Bristol Live : "First Bus has hit an all-time low. The bus arrived, pulled into the bay outside the Beefeater in the centre of Bristol, the driver then disembarked and cooly announced that there is no driver coming, and walked off into the darkness.
"Everyone who has been waiting for the last 30 minutes then starts complaining as the driver lights a cigarette and continues to walk off in the direction of the bus station.
"First Bus has been consistently bad for months now, and even a driver I spoke to admitted First Bus had gone downhill."
He claimed another driver waiting at the stop told him First Bus has been "losing five drivers a week" amid claims they are being treated poorly by the company.
The frustrated passenger said he was told by the driver he is "treated like s*** by First Bus" and that he "hasn't been given a pay rise in three years".
He claimed the driver said: "Drivers are walking, and because they can earn more elsewhere and don't need this."
Adam said: "People like myself stood waiting for a driver and here because we are dependent on these buses, and exhausted from a long day at work, just wanting to get home.
"When I pay £73 a month for this service you would think that they would put customer care as a priority."
First Bus apologised for the incident, describing the driver's language as "unacceptable".
A spokesperson also acknowledged a shortage of drivers which has led to disruption to normal schedules.
The company said in a statement: "Firstly, we apologise to any customers who were inconvenienced by this incident and for the driver’s language, which is unacceptable.
"As is being experienced across the bus industry, we have seen varying levels of driver shortages over the last few weeks at First West of England, similar to other road transport businesses.
"We are doing everything we can to maintain a comprehensive network of services that supports our customers and our communities.
"The majority of routes are running normally although we have made temporary timetable adjustments for some routes to ensure a reliable service and minimise disruption.
"We have also accelerated the introduction of a new technology that provides customers with the means to see via both the App and the Real Time Information (RTI) boards at stops whether a service has been cancelled and when the next one is due to, again, remove some of the current uncertainty."
