City of York Council consults on bus service review

City of York Council has launched a public consultation on its review proposals, giving residents until Wednesday January 17 to comment.

Changes include the Number 11 service decreasing from once every 50 minutes to once an hour, Service 19 halving in a morning from once every 30 minutes to hourly and services 16 and 24 decreasing from every 45 minutes to hourly.

The council says its proposals will help to ensure that the bus network is more stable and efficient, reflecting post-COVID-19 passenger demand, and ensuring that services are more affordable and reliable.

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The review has taken account of how well services are currently used.

One of the outcomes of the review is that only services with an average of at least 8 passengers per bus hour continue to be subsidised.

The city council says its proposals will deliver around £200,000 of savings in 2024 to 2025, which it says will help offset overall rising bus operating costs.

Cllr Pete Kilbane, Executive Member for Economy and Transport, said: “We recognise these proposed changes would impact on residents’ daily lives, so it’s important to us that we hear feedback and are able to reflect this in the final proposals.

"These changes seek to deliver an affordable, efficient and stable bus network, enabling bus patronage to grow and services to become financially sustainable.

“But this comes with a stark warning that if the government does not provide longer term funding support, or bus usage doesn’t increase - further services may be impacted in future.

“The Bus Service Improvement Plan funding we have provides only short term relief to the ongoing pressures facing bus operations.”

City of York Council is receiving comments on its website and paper copies of its consultation document are available at all libraries.

Drop-in sessions are also being held at Friargate on Monday  January 8, from 2pm to 5pm, and on Wednesday January 10 from 2pm to 7pm - in connection with the council’s ‘Big Transport Conversation’.

Following the public consultation, City of York Council say the feedback will be taken to an Executive meeting in late January, with a view to implementing some of the changes at the end of April 2024 and others later in 2024.

The council will then secure bus operators for these services, aiming to make services, stable, frequent and reliable, given its budget.

Through its Enhanced Bus Partnership, the council added it is working closely with bus operators and others in improving bus use to cut traffic congestion.