Two popular Ring Road bus services will be combined to create one circular ‘superloop’ service from Monday.
An expanded number 9 bus service will start on Monday, 22 July 2024 and will combine the existing number 10 route from Horsforth to the White Rose Centre – via Rodley, Farsley, Pudsey, Farnley and Wortley – with the current number 9 White Rose to Horsforth service, via Seacroft and Morton.
The new number 9/9C service is funded by the West Yorkshire Mayor’s Bus Service Improvement Plan and will be run by SquarePeg buses. The service used to exist as one route until it was split a number of years ago.
A spokesperson said: “The current services 9 and 10 will be combined to create a single circular service to create new direct links for passengers.
“Anticlockwise journeys will be numbered as 9, clockwise journeys as 9C. The timetables of both sections will be largely unchanged, however a small number of journeys will be retimed by 5-15 minutes.
“From Horsforth towards Seacroft, the service will operate via Horsforth Station (Station Road, Troy Road), then via Low Lane to resume the current 9 route on Horsforth Ring Road, and vice versa.
The new timetable for the service can be found here.
The move has been welcomed by Calverley & Farsley councillors Peter Carlill and Craig Timmins. In a statement, they said: “Last year we led a successful campaign to save the former number 9 bus, ending up with the Mayor, Tracy Brabin, allocating funding to contract a new number 10 service as a replacement.
“With the route becoming a publicly funded service, we were keen to explore returning it to its former operation as a full circular service around the city, connecting communities around the ring road – without needing to go into the city centre and out again.
“This new service continues links to Horsforth, Pudsey and White Rose, but creates new direct connections from our area to Weetwood, Moortown, Alwoodley, Seacroft, Cross Gates, Garforth, Rothwell, Middleton among others.
“It’s great to see this historical service come back, and is a sign to come of more improvements to come when the Mayor takes full control of the network.”
Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said: “I am determined to create a better-connected region, but that can only be done through work like this to help boost vital bus services to link our communities.
“Along with our £2 Mayor’s Fares, this ‘Leeds superloop’ service will open up shopping and leisure destinations to more people across the outskirts of the city.”
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What about Calverley? I have to go up to Horsforth for a class once a week and currently no regular bus service from Calverley to Horsforth that can get me there for 10 am. Also cannot get to Farsley by public transport after 6 pm. And would love to get a bus from Calverley to Old Woollen in the evening.