A COUNCILLOR and a transport boss are fighting a bitter war of words after a bus service was scrapped in Clifton Without.

Coun Simon Tarry has attacked First York after it announced plans to stop running the number 18 service in its new timetable - published in Monday's Evening Press.

Coun Tarry claims the scrapped service, between the village and York District Hospital, has left dozens of people stranded and unable to get into the city.

But, after passing on his views to the bus company, its commercial manager, John Fletcher, retaliated by blasting the Clifton Without representative.

Coun Tarry, 45, said: "I am being inundated by people telling me there is no longer a direct link to York.

"A lot of elderly people live in this area and they've told me they can't get into the city early to get to the hospital or attend other appointments.

"Other people have called to say they can't get into work. Clifton Without is one of the fastest-growing areas in York, but our bus service has shrunk.

"I feel that First York has disregarded people. It's not worthy of a bus service."

Mr Fletcher said: "Coun Tarry's attitude absolutely stinks. He rang the office saying he was going to sort this out. The staff are very upset.

"The council has been aware of this change for three to four months and an hourly service is still being provided in this area.

"We are a commercial organisation which is allowed to take commercial decisions. The number of people travelling between Clifton and the hospital wasn't significant. That's why the service has been stopped.

"We are not allowed to operate a service which is not commercially viable."

- First York's Metro service, providing high frequency routes, across the city, starts on Sunday. Including an £11.9 million investment in a new bus fleet, the new service, which has taken months of planning, will run every ten minutes along York's main corridors.

Updated: 11:54 Friday, September 14, 2001