By John Baron
A Leeds bus operator has confirmed that it will re-connect bus users left without a service along Calverley Lane and Leeds and Bradford Road, following a local campaign.
The controversial rerouting of the 508 service in March as part of a series of cuts by First Bus left Calverley Lane and parts of Leeds and Bradford Road with little or no bus service.
But public outcry and a campaign by Bramley & Stanningley and Calverley & Farsley councillors Tom Hinchcliffe, Kevin Ritchie, Caroline Gruen and Peter Carlill has led to the reintroduction of a service.
Independent company Yorkshire Buses, which recently took on the number 9 route after it was axed by First, has come to the rescue. It has announced that it will add Calverley Lane and Leeds and Bradford Road to the number 9 route from Monday, 3 July 2023
Responding to the announcement, Cllr Tom Hinchcliffe said the move was a ‘significant step in the right direction’ to return a reliable bus service to bus users in Bramley, Stanningley, Farsley and Calverley.
“This is great news for our community, who have been left without a bus service to Horsforth on Calverley Lane and Leeds and Bradford Road since the beginning of March,” Cllr Hinchcliffe added.
“Local residents have been let down by First Bus, which shamefully withdrew its number 14 and 508 services from Bramley and Stanningley, but I’m pleased our campaign to restore some services is beginning to be heard.
“I’d like to thank Yorkshire Buses for their support in arranging this new service and look forward to working with them to secure more services for Bramley and Stanningley in the near future.
“While this is only a partial victory, there is still much more work to be done and our local Labour team will continue to campaign for better connectivity for local residents.”
A spokesperson for Yorkshire Buses confirmed the move.
The company said: “Having recently taking on the number 9 service, our management team has constantly been gathering information as to how this service could potentially be improved also improving the overall feasibility.
“This being said, Yorkshire Buses have worked closely with Councillor Tom Hinchcliffe of the Bramley and Stanningley ward to get these changes approved.
“Timetable adjustments have had to be made in order to accommodate these changes however, to make this process easier, we have funded a timetable drop for at least 25,000 homes along the route – and because some of you definitely need an excuse to ‘get out more’ we have also included a free journey voucher attached to the timetable so you can trial the new changes free of charge.”
The extended number 9 service will also now include Horsforth Vale and Horsforth Train Station.
More details on the Yorkshire Bus Facebook page.
Does this re route of the the no.9 mean you’re going to bypass the Wortley Ring Road part of the journey to the White Rose?
Disregard my previous comment, I was given some wrong information.
Why has this bus stopped travelling on Calverley Lane and Leeds Bradford road, Bramley.