THE route of York’s flagship ftr is being extended to the University of York’s new Heslington East campus – with an additional “baby” bus added to the fleet.

Bus operator First is also cutting the return fare between the university and the city centre from £2.50 to £2, and providing free travel between Heslington East and the old campus.

The new Volvo B7 single- decker bus has been branded in the distinctive purple livery of the regular ftr.

But Dave Alexander, regional managing director for First UK Bus in the north of England, has denied the introduction of the bus is the forerunner to any future withdrawal of the ftr superbuses from the route, which the company was rumoured to be considering earlier this year.

He said it would be added to the existing ten ftrs to create extra capacity and ensure First could maintain its ten-minute service following the increase in the length of the route. He hoped the smaller bus could later be replaced by an ftr when one became available.

He said: “We came up with the idea of the ftr ‘baby’ as a marketing initiative to launch the service extension to Heslington East.

“The new vehicle looks excellent in the distinctive purple livery made famous in York by the ftr vehicle when it was first introduced in 2006. We are keen to ensure our customers on this route also benefit from the plans to extend to Heslington East.

“Therefore we have offered the free travel initiative within the area of the university, as well as a value for money ticket offer to and from the railway station.”

Coun Steve Galloway, City of York Council’s executive member for City Strategy, who has worked with First to introduce the changes, said the improvements had the advantage of linking the university with a much wider area of the city.