First Bus has said that its first 24-hour bus service in West Yorkshire – which passes through parts of West Leeds – has been boosted by an increase in passengers.
The bus company says the number 72 bus has seen a 138 per cent increase in customers travelling between midnight and 5am since becoming a round-the-clock service back in September.
Figures for the first three months to the end of the 2024 for the Leeds to Bradford service show that passenger numbers had grown from just over 2,000 in the first four weeks to more than 4,800 in December.
Photograph by Richard Walker/ImageNorth
Kayleigh Ingham, commercial director of First North & West Yorkshire, said: “We’re delighted with the growth we have seen on this service, which is clearly appealing to the people of Leeds and Bradford.
“Customer numbers have steadily increased month-by-month and we see this trend continuing in 2025.
“The 72 has always been a high frequency route. We have invested further in our network to build on the success we have seen, while ensuring the best possible service for our customers.”
Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, Chair of West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s transport committee and leader of Bradford Council, said: “The two cities working together provide a huge economy. Good transport connectivity is therefore vital to making the most of that economic opportunity.
“It’s all part of helping us to build a better-connected West Yorkshire, but there’s still lots more to do.”
The most popular hours of travel during the week are between midnight and 2am, and between 2am-4am on Saturday nights. The average number of customers at the weekend is 67 per cent higher than during the week.
Over 12,500 customers used the service in the early hours during the period September to December, with two-thirds travelling in the direction from Leeds to Bradford.
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This is good news. I rememberthe announcement about this 24 hour service, and I was hoping that people would use it to justify the bus company operating it. It seems that they are.
138% increase in passengers between midnight and 5am since all night was introduced. How does that work then? Surely before all night buses there were zero passengers? And twice bugger all is still bugger all