CHANGES been made to several bus routes in York, with new operators and a fast growing suburb gaining extra services.

The move follows a local bus services review, agreed by the council executive in February, and bus service contracts expiring.

After a competitive tender process, York & Country (operated by Transdev) have been selected as the winning bidder for Services 19, 20, 24 and 25.

Two other contracts, for the 11 (run by First Bus) and 16 (run by ConnexionsBuses), will be updated to take account of the revised services.

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Services listed below will move to new operations on Monday September 2.

  • Service 19 between Skelton and Burton Stone Lane is currently operated by York Pullman on weekdays and York & Country on Saturdays. From September 2, York & Country will operate the service from Monday to Saturday. There are no changes to the route and the timetable will be very similar, aside from Saturday’s last bus, which will change from 18:08 to 17:20. Full updated timetable details can be found via https://www.transdevbus.co.uk/coastliner/news/york-country-changes-from-2-sept/
  • Services 24 (between Acomb and the city centre), 25 (Fulford - City - Foss Islands -
    Derwenthorpe     and 26 (Fulford - City - South Bank) currently operated by York & Country, will be altered in line with the Executive decision, in order to make some operational efficiencies with a minimal impact on overall service provision:
    • Service 24 will now serve the Germany Beck development and run between Acomb-York-Fulford instead of Ascot Way-Acomb-York. It will still be operated by York & Country and will still be hourly. The Ascot Way-Acomb section will be added to service 16, run by ConnexionsBuses, which will reduce from every 45 mins to every hour.
  • Service 25 will continue to be operated by York & Country and run hourly. The route will be almost the same, but will now also serve Germany Beck, along with service 24. This is the first time Germany Beck has been directly linked to the bus network
  • The 24 and 25 will serve Germany Beck via Thornton Road, then Bishopdale Way, Whitting Close, and Porter Ave
  • Service 26 will cease to operate. The South Bank-York section will be covered by First’s service 11, which will be re-routed to include the Balmoral Terrace-Campleshon Rd loop all day. The Fulford Rd section will become part of service 24. Passengers should note that there will be no replacement for the Friday & Saturday-only late evening 11.45pm journey from Piccadilly to Fulford, due to very poor usage (averaging one passenger per journey). The last bus from York to Fulford will be service 415 at 11.10, serving Fulford Rd and Main St.
  • Alterations to the 16 (between Acomb - Hamilton Drive - City) will also take place on  September 2. Frequency will reduce from every 45 mins to every hour, with the route being extended to include Ascot Way, Windsor Garth, Danesfort Ave, St Stephen's Rd, Cornlands Rd and Askham Lane (all currently part of route 24)
  • Service 11 will change that day due to the end of Service 26. Frequency will remain the same, but all daytime journeys will include the South Bank loop (Balmoral Terrace, Queen Victoria St, Campleshon Rd) that are currently operated by service 26. Service 11 has always used this loop in the evenings.

 

The City Council says rising costs since the services were last tendered in 2019 has seen these added costs have bn met with support from the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) budget. Services 24 and 25 are also being part-funded by Section 106 contributions from the Germany Beck developer, Persimmon.

Cllr Kate Ravilious, Executive Member for Transport, has thanked bus operators for working with the council to ensure a smooth transition with no break in services.

She added: “I’m delighted that residents living in the Germany Beck development will now have a bus service and I’d encourage residents to use the new routes on offer.  And don’t forget that until December, we are subsidising fares for families and young people, making buses an even better way to travel in York”.

Transdev York and Country General Manager Adam Emmott said: “We’re looking forward to serving the fast-growing Germany Beck development for the first time, providing residents with a new bus link to the heart of the city centre – much easier, cheaper and better for the environment than taking a car into central York.”