Our West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin is working with local bus companies to improve their services.
Great work has been already been done to reduce the cost of fares, and over the next couple of years the buses will be brought into public control, but in the meantime it's really important to improve punctuality.
This is quite a long update but if you use the bus it's definitely worth a read!
"The changes involve the creation of five new services, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 to replace existing service numbers. Service 24 will also operate round-the-clock between the city centre and Lawnswood. We are restoring connections on city centre sections to Leeds train station, improving co-ordination between services, adding frequency and revising timetables to improve punctuality and reliability in a sustainable way.
In the Weetwood, Headingley & Hyde Park wards changes will be made to the following services:
1 Beeston – Leeds – Headingley
This service will be replaced by changes to service 8 and X84, as detailed below.
1B Beeston – Leeds – Headingley Campus
This service will be amended to only run between Leeds city centre and Beckett Campus. Buses will continue to run every 30 minutes Monday to Friday daytime, but with additional morning/early evening journeys. In the city centre, buses will serve Leeds Bus Station and Leeds Train Station. To provide a common numbering of services to Headingley to simplify customer understanding and awareness, this service will be renumbered to run as service 22.
6 Leeds – Headingley – Holt Park
Buses will be retimed to improve punctuality, with buses running every 15 minutes Monday to Friday daytime, every 20 minutes Saturday daytime and 2 buses per hour Sunday daytime. Earlier and later journeys will operate across all days of the week. There is no change to the route. To provide a common numbering of services to Headingley to simplify customer understanding and awareness, this service will be renumbered to run as service 23.
8 Leeds – Headingley – Holt Park
Buses will be retimed to improve punctuality, with buses running every 15 minutes Monday to Friday daytime, 3 buses per hour on Saturday daytime and 2 buses per hour Sunday daytime. Earlier and later journeys will operate across all days of the week. The service will be extended to run to Beeston via the current route of service 1 and will no longer serve the bus station. To provide a common numbering of services to Headingley to simplify customer understanding and awareness, this service will be renumbered to run as service 24. Service 24 will operate 24 hours a day between Leeds city centre and Lawnswood, replacing the current N1 night bus with an extended span to close the gap where we currently don’t operate.
27 Leeds – Headingley – Horsforth – Yeadon – Guiseley
Buses will be retimed with most journeys operating up to 15 minutes earlier than present but continuing to provide two buses per hour Monday to Saturday daytime and an hourly service Sunday daytime. Earlier and later journeys will operate including the restoration of the evening service on Monday to Friday and Sunday and additional early morning journeys operating into Leeds on all days of the week.
In Guiseley, there will be a minor change to the outbound route which will run via Oxford Road to terminate at the stop opposite Morrisons.
28 Leeds – Headingley – Adel
Buses will be retimed with most journeys operating up to 15 minutes later than present but continuing to provide two buses per hour Monday to Saturday daytime and an hourly service in the evening and Sunday daytime. Earlier and later journeys will operate across all days of the week. We have considered feedback from customers and the service in the city centre will be routed to the train station on the way to and from Leeds Bus Station.
N1 Leeds – Headingley
This service will be replaced by changes to service 8.
X84 Leeds – Headingley – Bramhope – Otley – Ilkley
Operational cost pressures have led us to look at other options to improve the viability of the service, whilst still maintaining the two daytime buses per hour to both Otley and Ilkley.
The main change is that we will be removing the stopping restrictions on the X84 service, such that we will pick up/set down on the section of route between Leeds city centre and Weetwood. To mitigate any concerns regarding short hop passengers displacing longer distance travellers, we have retimed the Headingley corridor of services such that there is no more than a 4-minute gap from the preceding bus. We anticipate there will not be a build-up of customers on any particular trip, but an even flow of customers across all trips. We have also specifically timed the replacement services for the X84 such that outbound buses will avoid the key hotspots for use, so whilst we would expect some short hop customers to use the Otley/Ilkley service, we strategically planned these trips.
To distinguish the new operation and to allow the Headingley services to fall into a common numbering sequence to aid customer familiarity, service X84 will be renumbered to operate as service 26.
In addition, when we run a 30-minute service, alternate buses will be diverted to run via Pool-in-Wharfedale, restoring the link to Leeds from the previously withdrawn X85. These journeys will operate as service 25 to differentiate between the two routes. Buses will run slightly earlier in the mornings and slightly later in the evenings to give an improved level of service on the corridor.
As a result of the changes above, we believe that there will be a sufficient uplift in revenue from the core network to maintain two buses per hour across the daytime as well as an hourly service in the evenings.
I appreciate this involves ending the ‘express’ nature of the X84. This will be compensated by other changes we are introducing along the Headingley corridor to relieve pressure points with capacity, which we believe will provide a better customer experience and consistency of service on outbound journeys from Leeds."
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