By Jill Stocks
A major bus route which provides an essential service from Horsforth to several local areas is the subject of a new petition launched today.
The 27 service connects Horsforth with Rawdon, Yeadon, Guiseley and Otley northbound, and West Park, Headingley, Hyde Park and central Leeds southbound.
Many depend upon it for work and leisure activities. Recently though it has been the subject of much criticism on social media with people complaining about reliability and punctuality issues.
The petition on Change.org asks that First bus reconsider their decision announced today to alter the timetable to provide a 40-minute frequency rather than the existing 30-minute one.
The petition states: “Failure to provide a 30-minute, on-time service results in fewer people trusting the service and using it. A commitment to reliability and regularity is key for the number 27 to be economically viable for First Bus.
“Far too many residents who rely on the number 27 have shared stories of the difficulties they have encountered, such as missing essential medical appointments, being late for work or having to pay for taxis to get children to school or college on time.
“This is unacceptable, and a change has to be made. This change, which is urgently required, is proper, half-hourly, well-advertised journeys.”
It is signed by Horsforth councillors Ray Jones, Emmie Bromley and John Garvani as well as nine other councillors representing the areas covered by the 27 route.
Michael Moore, Head of Network for First Bus in West Yorkshire, said: “The timetable has been devised with this frequency to build confidence and help ensure reliability and punctuality, which we fully appreciate are priorities for customers.
“This is designed to manage heavy congestion, which is present now and forecast to continue due to a series of roadworks.
“It is based on extensive passenger data, balances the resources that are affordable and has been considered with the reassurance that other parts of the route are covered by interconnecting services, including the 34 and 50/50A.
“We would welcome any support local councillors can give to encouraging use of the 27 bus to help build the confidence and success in the service all wish to see, and which may create the conditions for future improvement.”
You can view the petition here.
33 service changes
Meanwhile First Bus today also announced that from 23 February the 33 service through Horsforth will once again terminate at White Cross in Guiseley, reversing the much criticised decision made several months ago to terminate and return from the earlier stop at Guiseley Morrisons, affecting many who used the service from and to Horsforth.
It will once again serve all stops on the route between Morrisons and White Cross, meaning it will once again serve Guiseley AFC, assisting Horsforth supporters who had expressed their concern at the inconvenience caused by the service terminating at Morrisons, particularly for evening fixtures.
There are also minor timetable changes to the 33 and 34, again from the 23 February. Check if your bus time has changed on the First Bus website.
Re no 33, thank goodness. Otherwise, try sending the 34 straight up to Guiseley and Otley and the 33 round the houses via Yeadon. Currently it takes an hour to get from Leeds to just Menston and even longer to Otley on the 34
I would have thought making the 27 service less frequent would discourage use of it, not the opposite. This service used to run every 20 minutes during weekdays. I despair at the thought of how much longer I might have to wait for a bus to arrive on this route after recent experience of using it.