It's the ftr of city travel

I'LL tell you one thing about the new ftr: you won't feel like a second class citizen travelling on one of these.

The name of York's new superbuses - which will swing into use along the No 4 route from Heslington to Acomb on May 8 - apparently derives from text-message shorthand for 'future'.

And no matter what else you might think about them these buses are certainly futuristic.

Once you've taken your seat, they really are the Rolls Royces of the bus world. The amount of space on board is astonishing. The whole back quarter of the air-conditioned bus is arranged in a lounge style, a bit like the seating in a plush nightclub.

Seats curve around corners, inviting you to sprawl comfortably. Up front, there's more sideways-on, lounge-style seating, plus regular front-facing seats, space for a wheelchair and three buggies, and even padded wall cushions to make the ride more comfortable for standing passengers.

Sitting in the back as the bus negotiates one of York's many narrow turns is exhilarating. Face forward and look down the long, airy corridor that is the inside of the bus, and you'll see the front section swing sideways ahead of you. Moments later, the rear section you're seated in obediently swings round in pursuit.

So they're comfortable, and fun. They look great, too - sleek, streamlined and, yes, futuristic.

But given that a fleet of 11 of these new buses has cost bus company First over £3 million, and more importantly that City of York Council has splashed out £1.3 million on new traffic lights and improved road

junctions, roundabouts, bus stops and bus shelters along the route the buses will travel, are they worth the money?

What real benefits will they deliver for bus passengers in York? How will you buy tickets? And how can it be fair that some York residents will no longer be able to park on the street outside their homes simply because if they did, the ftr couldn't get past?

One of the big benefits of the new buses, says First York commercial director Peter Edwards, is simply that they are so much more comfortable.

"People have become more sophisticated," he says. "If we're going to entice more people out of their cars we have to offer them something more than the traditional bus. They want to sit in comfort."

The actual buses themselves, however, are just part of what makes the ftr so different, Peter says. What First - in partnership with the city council - is trying to do, is introduce a whole new concept in bus travel.

This is supposed to be public transport for the mobile phone age. Passengers will be able to buy electronic 'tickets' in advance on their mobile phones - then just swipe their phones across a bar code on entering the bus.

You will also be able to use a mobile to check when the next bus - they are supposed to run every 10-15 minutes throughout the day - will be arriving at your nearest bus stop.

The buses are also equipped with satellite tracking that links up to new 'smart' traffic lights - some of the council's £1.3 million has gone towards this technology - so that if a bus is running late, traffic lights will automatically turn to green as it approaches.

It's all designed, Mr Edwards says, to ensure the buses are fast and, above all, that they run on time.

"What people want is reliability," he says. "So what we have tried to do is to iron out the factors that contribute to unreliability."

That includes queues of people waiting to board while a driver scrabbles to find change for a £20 note.

You will still be able to buy a ticket on the bus; but not from the driver. He (or she) will be sealed away behind a locked door. Instead, if you insist on using cash, you will get your ticket from an

on-board vending machine. And it won't take notes (only coins), or give change.

The fare structure has been simplified - £1.50 for a single journey of any length, £2.50 for a return, £3 for an all-day ticket - but if you've only got a £2 coin with which to buy your single ticket, you'll lose 50p.

The new fares do not represent an increase, insists Mr Edwards, but how people will react to being short-changed remains to be seen.

The aim is to change people's ticket-buying habits. First - and the council - are keen for more people to pre-pay, either at one of the 50 "pay points" around the city, or by using their mobiles. That will speed up boarding times and so make the buses more reliable.

Passengers are not being deliberately discouraged from buying tickets on the bus, Mr Edwards insists. But it will be "relatively more convenient for people to pre-pay".

Julie Hurley, the council's head of transport planning, says York people should be proud that they will be among the first in the world to get such advanced buses.

"The ftr is the first of its kind, and it is coming to York first. We shouldn't forget that," she says.

Whether York people will be quite as quick to take the bus to their hearts as First and the council would like remains to be seen.

Richard Greaves used the No 4 regularly when he worked at the University of York. He fears it will be those who can least afford it who will be hardest hit by having to fork out £2 for a £1.50 ticket, because they don't have the right change.

He also thinks it is unfair the way people in Heslington Road and parts of Acomb are being told they can no longer park on the street.

Acomb pensioner Alec Dobinson, who lives on the route of the No 4, has the same concerns.

"I think people will view it with a great deal of suspicion to start with," he says. That said, he admits he will try it out himself. "In fact, I'm quite looking forward to it!"

The ftr might win us over yet.

What has the council's money been spent on?

The £1.3 million spent by the council comes from its capital budget, not its

revenue budget.

It is NOT, therefore, council tax-payers money, the council says.

The money has been spent on:

Widening some junctions and roundabouts

Alternative parking for residents who can no longer park on-street - including dropping kerbs to allow parking in residents' own driveways, and some hard-standing

Fitting 75 bus stops with raised kerbs to allow disabled access to the new buses

Some priority bus lanes

Satellite tracking technology and upgraded traffic signals to allow ftr buses to automatically switch lights to green as they approach if they are late.

We take to streets with ftr

STEPHEN LEWIS describes how the ftr copes with York's streets

There are a couple of hairy moments as the training bus I cadge a lift on heads along Heslington Road.

Cars parked on either side make it so narrow that when we confront a white van coming the other way, our driver has to execute a careful manoeuvre to get past.

By the time the new buses are launched, however, First York commercial director Peter Edwards says the council will have arranged it so cars can no longer park on both sides of the road - either here or in some of the Acomb streets along which the bus will pass.

That, while contentious, should at least mean the buses will have no problem getting through.

On the evidence of my journey, they certainly seem to have no problem with twisty city centre streets.

Despite its size, our bus has no problem with the sharp turn from Clifford Street on to Bridge Street - "a lot of people said we wouldn't get round here," Mr Edwards says - or, later, with the turn from Micklegate into George Hudson Street.

ftr: The pros and the cons

Pros

Service every 10-15 minutes - and it should be reliable and on time

Room for one passenger in a wheelchair, and/ or three mums (or dads) with buggies

Tickets can be bought in advance, or even stored electronically on your mobile phone

Air-conditioned, roomy comfort - first class, not economy class

Bus information available on your mobile - including when the next bus will arrive at your nearest stop

Pensioners entitled to free bus travel will get special swipe cards

A £7 weekly ticket will be available for Acomb passengers who only wish to make short journeys to the local shops, and don't want to fork out £1.50 a time

First believe the number of passengers using York's busiest bus route, the No 4, will increase by six per cent a year because of the ftr - meaning fewer people in cars.

Cons

Some passengers may find it difficult getting their heads round paying by mobile phone - or else finding one of the payment points to pre-pay for tickets

If you want to buy your ticket on board, you'll need the right money (no notes, please, only coins) and the vending machine won't give change

Costly work has been necessary to prepare the No 4 route - and residents in parts of Heslington Road and Acomb have been told they can no longer park on-street

There is only room on each bus for one wheelchair at a time. If the space is already taken, passengers in a wheelchair will have to wait for the next bus.

Updated: 09:47 Monday, April 24, 2006