Calls to improve bus service linking towns to city

Town and parish councils have called for urgent improvements to a bus service they say has become so unreliable that passengers have no idea when - or even if - one will turn up.

The X84 service, which connects Ilkley, Otley, Pool, Bramhope and Adel with Leeds city centre, was withdrawn in October 2024 but later reinstated following public backlash.

Since then, research commissioned by Otley Town Council found that hundreds of passengers said the service had got much worse.

Operator First Bus said its timetable was designed to provide "the most reliable and punctual service possible" while taking account of traffic congestion and pressures on the road network.

The campaign is being led by Otley Town Council, Ilkley Town Council, Bramhope & Carlton Parish Council, Pool in Wharfedale Parish Council and Burley in Wharfedale Parish Council.

The authorities said the 10-mile route along the A660 had been dubbed the "corridor of uncertainty" because the service had got so bad.

Councillors said residents had been left with an unreliable service which meant some had missed medical appointments, students had missed lessons and others were not able to get a bus home after a night out.

The views were echoed in a survey which asked 895 bus users from Otley and neighbouring communities questions about the quality and reliability of local bus services.

That showed a picture of widespread dissatisfaction, particularly around the X84, with the main complaints being frequency, reliability and punctuality.

Councillor Paul Carter, who chairs Otley Town Council Trade & Tourism Committee, said people were unable to rely on the service "because basically you don't know when a bus will turn up".

He added: "Certain parts of Otley have some of the worst levels of transport exclusion in West Yorkshire and we don't have a train service in town so a lot of people rely on buses.

"What we want is to see the frequency increased so there is a bus every 15 minutes and currently it's absolutely nothing like that.

"Everybody wants to get to a place where there is a service you can actually rely on so if you want to get home from work on time, or get the bus home after a night out, you can."

Councillor Jane Gibson, Deputy Mayor of Ilkley, said: "The issue is being exacerbated as new housing developments along the route add further pressure to roads, parking, public transport and other services."

Councillors have called for the X84 to be made a priority for improvement when the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) takes control of the bus network through franchising.

Under the new system, which is due to be rolled out next year, WYCA will decide routes, timetables, fares and service standards, while private operators will run services under contract.

Councillor Ryk Downes, who represents Otley and Yeadon, said: "Residents should not have to wait years for basic improvements, and as buses come back under public control, WYCA should make the X84 service a high priority."

The First Bus spokesperson said the firm was "always keen to work with local partners to identify opportunities to improve bus services, journey times and customer satisfaction to help make it simpler and easier for more customers to travel by bus".

A spokesperson for WYCA said reliable and punctual bus services were of "vital importance to communities along this route and across our region" and that was why the organisation was bringing buses under local control.

They added it would give WYCA the "power to make decisions about the network that are in the best of interests of passengers, not the shareholders of private companies".

They said: "We will continue to engage with elected members and the public about their concerns as we progress our plans for a franchised network."

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