YEP Letters November 13

Bus concerns to be raised with Government

Bus companies have been criticised for making huge pay-outs to shareholders at a time when job seekers are being “locked out” of employment opportunities by “unreliable and unaffordable” public transport. In addition First Bus West Yorkshire raised the cost of most single day and week ticket prices last month and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority has now vowed to raise their concerns about bus services to the Government. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) presented a study to the authority’s transport committee on Friday in which they claim public transport holds back low-income families from achieving a better standard of living. We asked YEP readers for their views and here’s what some of them said on social media..

Carl Walker

Stood this morning in the rain for the Armistice service, got soaking wet and cold.

Got to my stop, waited 15 minutes for my bus only for him to drive straight past me and look at me whilst doing so even though in had my hand out. Says it all really. No wonder so many people still use their car and refuse to deal with this type of service, it’s more infuriating than the buses not turning up to start with and pay the inflated prices they expect you to pay for the luxury of it.

Unfortunately I don’t have the luxury of a car but as soon as I do, goodbye to First. Maybe put some of the money back into the buses themselves and hire more drivers who want to be there, not have to be there just to have a job.

Sam Walker

Maybe they could also ask why it takes 45 minutes to go four miles from Bramley to Leeds city centre? Buses are a joke and trains may be quicker in the timetable but not in reality. I’ll vote with my car keys.

Wendie Drammeh

The 3s and the 13s are incredibly unreliable. I have to use them if I have a doctor’s appointment and have to make sure I set off over an hour before the appointment and often only get there with a minute or two to spare. In a car it’s less than five minutes door to door.

Julie Murphy

I USED to struggle getting to work at Jimmy’s due to this appalling service. Used to take me at least an hour each way. I waited 45 minutes last week in Hunslet going to Morrisons, I rang Metro to be told there were no issues reported with this service, that was at 3.50 in the afternoon, again I had to get a taxi.

Shirley Clubb

Do you know why most buses are late? Look how many more cars and vans are on the roads today, buses have to keep to time and speed limits just like everyone else is supposed to.

Vickie Morgan

I TRAVEL from town to York Road. The same journey with Arriva is 60p cheaper. The Arriva buses have other perks perks like free wifi and charging stations in seats. I avoid First Bus like the plague, too many bad experiences and now inflated fares- no thank you!

Steve Carr

Perhaps they should start by getting their own house in order, the constant roadworks affecting the city, the huge increase in private hire cars, the failure to deal with illegal parking all over city, the Headrow is constantly down to one lane due to delivery vehicles and illegally parked cars.

The limited access along the Headrow is a joke with everyone just using it as a normal road holding up buses trying to get through.

The roadworks which just spring up often in clumps, look at York Street down to one way working a diversion is put in place and they start digging that up two days later!

Roadworks which take months to complete all delay traffic including buses.

The ridiculous arbitrary proliferation of 20mph limits along main artery roads is a joke yet they fail to deal with speeding and red light infringements along the A64!

I’m afraid the WYCA is a further waste of public funds achieving very little but costing a lot.

Samantha Lynch

They also need to raise concerns about the buses not turning up and having to wait 30 minutes for a bus.

David Watson

And yet our council insists we should all be using a service that can’t cope with its current clientele. God help them if there was even a 10 per cent shift to public transport. LCC will keep shoveling this policy down our necks though, safe in the knowledge that we’ll never give up our cars and they can thus charge us to use them.

Arran Lee

Like most things nothing will change until people collectively vote with their feet, even if for just a day or two.

Cherril Cliff

Deregulation of bus services in about 1986, was a bad move - motivated by profit and not passengers.

Marc Blackburn

Less people use buses so they raise prices, so even less people use them, so they raise them again..

Aiden Fryer

I COME from Bramley and need to get home to Morley on Saturday evenings.

My only FirstBus is 9A every hour and then have a 30 minute wait usually to change into 51/52.

It’s disgusting to have wait nearly two hours, especially in cold when it’s less than five miles away. I would cycle but it’s a massive hill to climb and at that time of night or after 6 I want to be able to get a cheap ticket and be able to get on an Arriva bus as well to get across Leeds when it’s dark. I don’t see why they can’t have an off peak ticket / night rider after 6 like they do on trains at half the price so people can get home.

Trains are so unreliable too. I waited 30 minutes for a train at Morley station just to Leeds last week because apparently staff were delayed. Any excuse and on an old 80s train, smelly and cramped.

Steve Hodgson

First tried to justify their increases with the phone app argument. Have you seen just how many people who use the app don’t actually start to look for the app until they are boarding the bus? They stand there blocking other people while they search for it on their phone.

I’ve seen people buying a weekly ticket board the bus faster.