Pudsey residents are being urged to attend a public meeting following changes to routes and timetables that have left parts of Pudsey with a reduced service.
The X14 service, which provided a reasonably quick journey to Leeds city centre, has been replaced by a route which diverts through Bramley Shopping Centre and the Raynvilles, significantly increasing journey times from around 40 minutes to around 55 minutes.
In July, at a packed meeting of the Pudsey and Swinnow Community Forum, local residents expressed their opposition to bus changes affecting the Fulneck, Valley Road and Kent Road areas of Pudsey. It was agreed that a meeting would take place in September to see how these changes were impacting on residents.
The meeting has now been confirmed as Wednesday, 7 September, at 7.30pm at Café Lux in Pudsey.
Other changes are taking place to bus services in the ward, which have been welcomed by the local councillors.
Councillor Josie Jarosz (Labour, Pudsey) said:
“When these changes were announced we were concerned that residents would have no option but to switch to using their cars, which will only make congestion and air quality worse. Sadly, it looks to us as if these fears are being realised.
“With the schools starting back in the next few weeks the full impact of these changes will be there for everyone to see. So I hope as many people as possible come to the meeting, speak to the representatives of First and share their views on how the new service is operating.
“We need to get a really big turnout so that First can understand the impact of their changes on local people and get the message that they need to act in order to make regular, swift and reliable.”