POLICE are probing a bus company that suddenly stopped running its only service from Glasgow’s south side to the city centre.

Commuters were left stranded yesterday when City Sprinter unexpectedly withdrew the number 38.

Drivers who turned up to the company’s depot in Barrhead at 7am were told that the buses could not be taken out on the roads.

It later emerged that the Traffic Commissioner responsible for licensing and regulation had raised concerns about the “lawful operation” of the fleet.

When these concerns were not resolved the commissioner contacted Police Scotland.

A spokesman for the Traffic Commissioner said: “Following information received, the Traffic Commissioner, Miss Aitken, directed her staff to be in touch with this operator as the Traffic Commissioner had a concern about the lawful operation of City Sprinter Ltd's vehicles.

“By late yesterday afternoon the Commissioner's concern was not resolved and she referred her concern to Police Scotland.”

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: “We have been given a report by the Traffic Commissioner and we are looking into the operating procedures of the company.”

One driver, who asked not to be named, said: “There are ten drivers, two mechanics, two shunters and a regulator. It looks like we’re all out of a job.

Another driver, who also asked not to be named, added: “It’s a nightmare. We were all standing at the door at 7 o’clock this morning not knowing what was happening.

“I’ve got a mortgage and a child and I don’t know what I’m going to do now.”

City Sprinter’s website states that it is a “well-established transport company with over 20 years of experience”.

It ran the 38 service from Eastwood Toll to Renfrew Street every 10 minutes, six days a week.

Many customers had paid up front for weekly and monthly tickets costing £10 and £30.

One of the drivers said: “I’ve sold quite a few of them this week. I actually picked up the phone to a woman who was asking what she was going to do now. I didn’t know.”

City Sprinter owner John Healey said yesterday that he is unaware of investigations by police and the Traffic Commissioner and insisted it was his decision to stop running the service.

He said: “The company just couldn’t afford to run anymore, to be honest. We’ve been struggling for a while now, trying to run against First Bus. It’s impossible. Last week they had seven buses out to every one of ours. It’s just been an uphill struggle.”

Mr Healey said the drivers will be paid their weekly wage today but could not confirm whether they will receive redundancy money.

“I have the accountant looking into that now,” he said.

He was also unable to say whether customers who paid up front for weekly and monthly tickets will be refunded.

He added: “We’ll see what can do about that. We will probably be putting the company into voluntary liquidation.”

City Sprinter has come under scrutiny from the authorities in the past.

In 2013, the company was to be stripped of its operating licence after failing to provide evidence to the Traffic Commissioner of “appropriate financial standing”, but a successful appeal led to a last minute reprieve.

The request for details of company finances followed a public inquiry which heard that an inspection of the operator's premises in January by a traffic examiner led to concerns that drivers may have been routinely exceeding legal working hours.

On another occasion inspectors discovered that a City Sprinter bus operating in East Renfrewshire had its emergency exit cordoned off with clothing tied “between the seats to prevent passengers from using the seats, which had become soaked earlier that day after a heating pipe burst”.

Inspectors had also raised concerns about the number of Sprinter buses failing maintenance checks.