A FED-UP resident is abandoning York's "futuristic" buses - because they say it is almost quicker to stroll into the city centre.

Users of the ftr from Heslington and the University of York blame the machine-operated ticketing system for queues that slow down the buses to walking pace.

The news came as a leading opposition councillor warned that residents were not using the bus because of continuing problems with ticket machines.

Coun Tracy Simpson-Laing, Labour spokeswoman for transport, warned that people were abandoning the bus route. She said: "People are voting with their feet and some of them may be getting into cars. I think it is putting people off."

Jeffrey Stern, spokesman for Heslington Village Trust, said long queues of bus passengers getting on at the university meant it was now faster to walk into the city centre.

He said: "It almost takes longer to get to town on the buses than to walk.

"When the driver took the money the queue was much shorter, but with the new system, you might get 40 students getting on through the University Road and they all take 30 seconds to pay.

"If you add it up it just becomes silly. They have got to get it sorted out."

Mr Stern said many visitors to the university struggled to work out the payment system, but said the problems were eased when a conductor was on board.

He said: "I just wish they would bow to the inevitable and have conductors on board all the time.

"I have seen some people virtually be turned off or just given up because they can't work it out."

Coun Simpson-Laing is set to raise the continuing problems with the ftr at the next full council meeting on Thursday, January 25.

She said: "I am hearing from the students that there are still issues with machines not issuing tickets and that they do not work properly.

"They do not give change and people have to queue to pay."

People were also being forced to stand up to buy tickets while the bus is moving, she said.

Second futuristic' pilot is launched

ALMOST a year since the controversial ftr was launched in York, a second pilot scheme is now under way in Leeds.

Dubbed "the future of public transport" by bus operator First, the hulking bendy-bus sparked rows in York when it was launched in March over its size, the cost of road alterations, and the reliability of its ticketing system.

First is now running two ftr buses on the number four service between Whinmoor, Leeds city centre and Pudsey. The firm plans to introduce more buses on the route later this year.

The Leeds scheme is the second ftr pilot scheme. A conductor will travel on each of the buses to sell tickets and to help passengers get used to the new system.