'It's got to be the worst in the country': Your furious reaction to Leeds bus cancellations and severe delays

A Leeds Council panel heard renewed calls for a publicly run bus service in Leeds on Monday, with one councillor calling the city’s bus system “pathetically awful”.

And Leeds bus passengers have taken to social media to voice their experiences of delays, cancellations and disappearing buses.

Long queues and chaos

On Monday evening, road safety campaigner Ian Greenwood was waiting for a bus for about 45 minutes in torrential rain.

He says a queue snaked down from the number 12 stop on New Briggate, past Home Sense and back onto The Headrow.

Eventually, four buses arrived within the space of just two minutes.

Ian said: "Yet another dreadful Leeds bus journey!

"That old joke about three buses arriving at once is so not funny. Chaos and drenched!"

A case of disappearing buses

Many commuters reported issues with live tracking, including buses showing as 'due' before disappearing from the screen and app altogether.

Laura Marian tweeted a picture of the live departures board at Bramley, where the 8.05am bus she was intending to board was not showing an estimated live time.

She later said: "Well it didn't come, so had to suffer the 16 which means I'm running late, as with clear traffic it takes an hour to get to town.

"Just another chapter in the bus saga we all have to deal with daily."

Another commuter reported the live board, online tracker and paper board showing three different times of arrival for the 51 bus he was waiting for.

Sam said: "Two out of service buses came by, then I had to get a taxi."

While Donna Abbott reported a similar issue: "Second time today that a bus I have been waiting for over 20 minutes hasn't turned up.

"Absolutely appalling service for the last few months and they have the cheek to keep putting the prices up."

Delays, delays, delays

Severe bus delays, which are caused by rush hour congestion and made worse by road closures or crashes, have become an almost daily occurrence in Leeds.

Commuters complained of being late to work or school and missing medical appointments.

Angela Ford said: "The 7.42am from Ilkley did not turn up this morning. Again.

"Luckily I was home to take my kids and others en route to school. There isn’t another bus for well over an hour. Not good enough when I pay a fortune each week in bus fares."

While DinOtley said: "The recent timetable changes are bad enough but when a bus simply doesn't turn up at the busiest time of the day, it is utterly unacceptable.

"My son will now be 30 minutes late for college."

One commuter said she missed a medical appointment due to the traffic, despite leaving extra time to get there.

"I had to wait over 45 minutes for a bus that's meant to be every 10 minutes, so I missed the medical appointment I'd waited four months for", she said.

"I had to rearrange and the earliest one is March 13. I know traffic is busy but that's just taking the mick."

'If I was that reliable I'd have been sacked'

Commuter Peter Hughes said: "If I was as reliable as the buses I'd have been sacked by now.

"That's 20 minutes, cold, waiting for a bus to Leeds. Can't be congestion but never get an explanation."

Other commuters reported packed buses unable to stop for passengers.

SJ Lorrimer-Wood had first praised the Park and Ride service into Leeds, with 'plenty' of buses turning up.

However, the journey home was a different story. SJ said: "As you were. Bus just went straight past Hunslet Road/Chadwick Street stop without stopping.

"Didn’t look full, just didn’t see us because a different service was already at the stop.

"And the next one is full."

Sophie M W tweeted: "Wait 20 minutes for a bus and it either doesn't turn up or drives straight past - Leeds public transport has got to be the worst in the country."

What's next for Leeds buses?

On Monday, following renewed calls for a publicly run bus service, First Bus managing director Paul Matthews said franchising would be "a serious distraction" and would waste "time and effort" that could be spent improving passenger experience.

After months of traffic and transport chaos - plus decades of under-investment - your YEP has launched the Unlock the Gridlock campaign, calling for a mass-transit system to be reconsidered and more investment pumped into our public transport.