Leeds buses: Number 9 service to White Rose reinstated as new operator steps in to save route from axe

The number 9 service, which runs from the White Rose Shopping Centre to Horsforth, will be cut from December 24 by current operator Yorkshire Buses, which states the service is no longer viable.

But following an intervention from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, new operator Squarepeg Buses has been found to run the service from the new year in a victory for passengers who rely on the bus route to go about their daily lives.

The service, which will be renamed the 10 and restart on Tuesday, January 2, will be subsidised using funding from the Combined Authority’s Bus Service Improvement Plan.

Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said: “This service is vital for people not only in north and south Leeds, but also across Pudsey and the west of the city.

“We will do whatever we can to encourage bus operators to continue running socially necessary services across our region.

“We want to help create a better-connected West Yorkshire, so if we want people to get out of their cars and onto public transport, these are the services we need to be stepping in to rescue.”

It follows talks between the Combined Authority and operators to find a suitable replacement service.

The 10 will retain an hourly daytime service, while evening services will no longer operate.

In the longer term, WYCA will work with Squarepeg to merge this with their current number 9 (east of the city) service, to create the full outer circle service, with new direct links for passengers.