X84: Over 1,000 sign petition in under 48 hours after 'vital' Otley to Leeds bus service 'axed' by First Bus

The petition, launched by Adel campaigner Sarah Carmody on November 2, calls for the bus service X84 between Leeds and Otley to be reinstated, and received over 1,000 signatures in just 48 hours.

The service was axed on October 27 as part of the operator's plans to "improve the reliability" of its bus routes, which also included changes to several services across Adel and Wharfedale.

The petition claims that while new services (buses 25 and 26) have replaced the X84, they lack the limited-stop service that many residents relied on for quicker commutes.

Ms Carmody explained on her Change.org petition: "The X84 was essential to people in the above areas and beyond who need to easily access work, home and the city centre on an evening. Its removal has been highly detrimental [and] we need it reinstated.

"Many people travelled to Otley on this service, as opposed to driving, to shop and access the town's cafes. Since it has stopped some have stated that their visits to the town have become infrequent.

"Others are unable to get to work on time due to the removal of the service and spend considerably longer getting home as other services, which are not run on a limited stop system, are full."

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The campaign added that some passengers in Adel, Bramhope, Pool-in-Wharfedale and particularly Otley have found themselves unable to board some buses at busy times due to overcrowding.

As of November 5, the petition has received over 1,600 signatures, with support from Horsforth councillor Ray Jones of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) Transport Committee.

Cllr Jones remarked: "The removal of the X84 service, which was particularly important for Otley but also to those in Adel, Bramhope and surrounding areas, has caused great distress and chaos.

“People are struggling to get to work on time or to pick up their children, and, especially in Otley, residents' voices are yet again being ignored. This is unacceptable, and First Bus has not considered how detrimental their changes have been and the upset they have caused."

Cllr Jones added that he and Ms Carmody will be seeking a meeting with Mayor Tracy Brabin to discuss the issue, whose vision of bringing buses back into public control is something they both support.

He continued: "The limited stop element of the X84 was so important to residents accessing the city centre as it prevented a great deal of overcrowding, and they need this service to be reinstated without delay."

Kayleigh Ingham, Commercial Director of First Bus in North & West Yorkshire, told the Yorkshire Evening Post:“We have maintained two daytime buses per hour to both Otley and Ilkley and renumbered this to the 26 service in changes introduced from Sunday 27 October. We have also restored a connection from Leeds to Pool-in-Wharfedale, with alternate buses at 30-minute intervals. This petition claiming a loss of service is simply wrong and misleading.

“The continuation in service frequency has been achieved by combining the route stopping points with the wider Headingley network and into Leeds city centre. This is designed to spread passenger capacity throughout the day with retimed services on this corridor ensuring there is only a 4-minute gap between the next bus arriving. 

“Specialist scheduling software has also been used to revise the timetable to improve punctuality and prevent any loss of trips from the route. This has resulted in five minutes added to the journey time to account for more stops and several minutes needed to help restore punctuality due to increased traffic congestion.”

She continued: “We have reviewed trip times from last week and the evidence shows that a typical journey from Ilkley is some 12 minutes longer than previously. More than half this time was required to re-establish punctuality.”

“A review of passenger numbers has revealed some capacity pressure at peak times on certain days in the week and we will continue to monitor this to consider any adjustments that may be needed.”