Please find below an update from First Bus on bus services in Adel & Wharfedale. This includes changing the bus numbers and a new service through Pool:
"I would like to make you aware of changes we are introducing from Sunday 27 October to improve connectivity along this corridor. These have been devised as part of a wider network review in partnership with West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
I appreciate there is a lot of information in this notice, but this covers multiple services, route sections and interconnections designed to deliver a better experience for your constituents, which I have explained below.
The changes involve the creation of four new services, 23, 24, 25 and 26 to replace existing service numbers. We are restoring connections on city centre sections to Leeds train station, improving co-ordination between services, adding frequency and revising timetables to improve punctuality and reliability in a sustainable way.
In the Adel & Wharfedale ward changes will be made to the following services:
6 Leeds – Headingley – Holt Park
Buses will be retimed to improve punctuality, with buses running every 15 minutes Monday to Friday daytime, every 20 minutes Saturday daytime and 2 buses per hour Sunday daytime. Earlier and later journeys will operate across all days of the week. There is no change to the route. To provide a common numbering of services to Headingley to simplify customer understanding and awareness, this service will be renumbered to run as service 23.
8 Leeds – Headingley – Holt Park
Buses will be retimed to improve punctuality, with buses running every 15 minutes Monday to Friday daytime, 3 buses per hour on Saturday daytime and 2 buses per hour Sunday daytime. Earlier and later journeys will operate across all days of the week. The service will be extended to run to Beeston via the current route of service 1 and will no longer serve the bus station. To provide a common numbering of services to Headingley to simplify customer understanding and awareness, this service will be renumbered to run as service 24.
28 Leeds – Headingley – Adel
Buses will be retimed with most journeys operating up to 15 minutes later than present but continuing to provide two buses per hour Monday to Saturday daytime and an hourly service in the evening and Sunday daytime. Earlier and later journeys will operate across all days of the week. We have considered feedback from customers and the service in the city centre will be routed to the train station on the way to and from Leeds Bus Station.
X84 Leeds – Headingley – Bramhope – Otley – Ilkley
Operational cost pressures have led us to look at other options to improve the viability of the service, whilst still maintaining the two daytime buses per hour to both Otley and Ilkley.
The main change is that we will be removing the stopping restrictions on the X84 service, such that we will pick up/set down on the section of route between Leeds city centre and Weetwood. To mitigate any concerns regarding short hop passengers displacing longer distance travellers, we have retimed the Headingley corridor of services such that there is no more than a 4-minute gap from the preceding bus. We anticipate there will not be a build-up of customers on any particular trip, but an even flow of customers across all trips. We have also specifically timed the replacement services for the X84 such that outbound buses will avoid the key hotspots for use, so whilst we would expect some short hop customers to use the Otley/Ilkley service, we strategically planned these trips.
To distinguish the new operation and to allow the Headingley services to fall into a common numbering sequence to aid customer familiarity, service X84 will be renumbered to operate as service 26.
In addition, when we run a 30-minute service, alternate buses will be diverted to run via Pool-in-Wharfedale, restoring the link to Leeds from the previously withdrawn X85. These journeys will operate as service 25 to differentiate between the two routes. Buses will run slightly earlier in the mornings and slightly later in the evenings to give an improved level of service on the corridor.
As a result of the changes above, we believe that there will be a sufficient uplift in revenue from the core network to maintain two buses per hour across the daytime as well as an hourly service in the evenings.
I appreciate this involves ending the ‘express’ nature of the X84. This will be compensated by other changes we are introducing along the Headingley corridor to relieve pressure points with capacity, which we believe will provide a better customer experience and consistency of service on outbound journeys from Leeds.
Full details of the changes will be published on our website from Friday 27 September together with communication to customers."
