Sponsored by
Leeds bus services shake up
Long-suffering bus users in Leeds were today told to brace themselves for a controversial shake-up of services.
Transport giant First has announced a round of timetable changes that will come into force from Sunday, August 29.
SCROLL DOWN FOR DETAILS OF THE SERVICES BEING HIT.
The changes, which will affect more than 30 of the firm's services in and around Leeds, cap a confusing few weeks for local passengers.
First, Leeds's biggest bus company, sparked anger when it raised the price of some day and week passes at the start of August.
The step came after it lost control of a string of routes in the city to rival operator Centrebus of Huddersfield.
* Click here to read latest letters to the YEP Editor.
First also faced criticism last summer when it announced plans to axe nearly four per cent of its services in West Yorkshire, although a number of those earmarked for the chop later won a reprieve.
Coun Chris Greaves, chairman of Metro, West Yorkshire's publicly-funded passenger transport authority, today said the latest changes would cause "disruption, inconvenience and worry".
A First spokesman, however, said: "Services or journeys are only being withdrawn where there are just too few people to justify them and it is neither economically nor environmentally wise to continue running them. We are working hard to minimise the impact of these changes on our customers."
The spokesman also said its commitment to West Yorkshire was underlined by its 34m investment in its business in the county in the last two years.
Metro said last month that handing Centrebus whole or partial tenders for some First-run services would provide better value from the money it gives firms to operate buses they could otherwise deem unprofitable.
Passengers can download details of revised timetables at www. wymetro.com or pick up copies of Metro's new Changing Times booklet from Leeds Bus Station and Leeds City Station.
THE ROUTES BEING HIT
Monday to Friday, the frequent service on routes 1 (Holt Park-Leeds-Beeston) and 4 (Whinmoor-Leeds-Pudsey) will start later in the morning. Service 1 will also no longer run to Cottingley, evenings and Sundays.
Service 55 (Moor Allerton-Leeds-Morley) will instead run to Cottingley, hourly, on the same route as the daytime service. Wesley Street will no longer be served. Early morning, late evening and Sunday journeys on service 51 (Moor Allerton-Leeds-Morley) will now all run via the M621.
Service 90, between Leeds and Seacroft, will be renumbered 11. The section of route between Leeds and Greengates will be run by Centrebus during the day and by First evenings and Sundays.
Centrebus will also take over service 92 (Leeds-Headingley) from September 20, but there will be no service between August 30 and then.
Services 18 and 18A (Tinshill/ Ireland Wood-Leeds-Garforth) will run hourly after 8pm, as service 18A; there will be no service via Silk Mill Way. The Sunday service will start at 0930 rather than 0730, and some other early morning journeys are withdrawn. The late night Thursday to Saturday journeys on service 56 (Whinmoor-Leeds-Moor Grange) are withdrawn. Evenings and Sundays, service 28 (Clarence Dock-Leeds-Adel) is reduced to hourly; there will be no service to Clarence Dock after 1930.
Services 85 and 87 will now only run to Thorpe, East Ardsley, White Rose centre and Morley at off-peak times.
Services 98, 99 and X98 have a revised route in Wetherby, omitting Fourth Avenue, Hallfield Lane and Sandbeck Way. Some peak journeys will be withdrawn.
Services 965 (Pool-Otley circular) and 968 (Otley-Weston circular) to run every 30 minutes instead of 20, as service 965. The Monday to Saturday daytime frequency on service X84 (Leeds-Otley-Skipton) is reduced from every 15 minutes to every 20 minutes.
Service 96 (Leeds-Holt Park) is renumbered 6, and there are timetable changes to services 16, 16A, 74, 74A and 95.
Service X64 between Leeds and York is withdrawn.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Leeds
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
