CITY councillors of all political persuasions will be invited to a cross-party briefing later this month to discuss the future of the city’s Dial and Ride service.

In a shock announcement last month charity York Wheels said that its popular door-to-door bus service for elderly or disabled passengers who have no other means of getting about would come to an end on December 31.

The charity's chair of trustees Rob Atkinson said it was a decision that had been taken with 'deep regret'.

But he added: "The Dial and Ride service has become unsustainable in recent months. Put simply, we have reached the point at which as a result of problems with maintenance and third-party suppliers, our fleet is not up to the standards required to maintain the quality or reliability of the service."

It was a decision that came as a particular shock, because it is less than a year since York wheels bought two new Dial and Ride buses, with the help of a £190,000 city council grant.

Disabled campaigners – and York’s former transport boss Andy D'Agorne - pleaded with the city council to try to find a way of saving the ‘vital’ service before it closed.

Mr D’Agorne, who lost his seat as a city councillor at the last election, urged the authority to look at whether it could use bus improvement funding to maintain the service – whether run by York Wheels or some other organisation.

But the service came to a halt on December 31 nonetheless.

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- £190,000 council grant buys two new Dial & Ride buses

Now, local councillors have been invited to a cross-party briefing on January 17 to look at what happened - and consider the future.

The council’s Labour executive member for transport Cllr Pete Kilbane said: "We agreed before Christmas to cross-party talks to explore options, with council officers, which will take place this month.

"The contract between the council and York Wheels does not allow the vehicles to transfer to council ownership, but - while we are working with York Wheels to advise on the sale of the vehicles (from which any proceeds will come to the council) - we have asked for a pause while the planned talks take place, and the council reviews the options."

Cllr Stephen Fenton, the Lib Dem transport spokesperson, said Dial and Ride had provided an ‘invaluable service which helps to fill in the gaps in public transport and is a lifeline for many elderly and vulnerable residents’.

He added: “Since the decision by York Wheels was announced, colleagues have been contacted by a number of residents who used the service and are anxious about what it will mean for them. It’s on their behalf that we asked for talks to come up with a solution.

“As a small local charity they (York Wheels) deserve our support. The council has a long-standing relationship with York Wheels and I would expect it to do what it can to help York Wheels find a way through the vehicle maintenance issues that have been encountered.”

Dial and Ride has been described as 'the bus service which takes over where public transport stops, providing travel options for York residents who are elderly or disabled and have no other means of travelling' and a 'door-to-door service taking you from home to major supermarkets, shopping centres and York city centre'.

It was used by about 30 people every day.