Bosses at bus operators First Leeds have promised a more reliable and frequent service from Pudsey into Leeds City Centre as part of timetable changes next month.
A review of services by the bus operator will, they claim, lead to a simpler network of routes from May 16.
The review follows persistent complaints by passengers about the reliability of bus services in the Pudsey area over a number of years.
The proposals
A new 4F service will leave every 10 minutes from Pudsey Bus Station to central Leeds and operate a circular via Chapeltown, Fartown and Robin Lane, where it replaces a section currently served the number 14.
This change also means a route between the bus station and Fartown/Fulneck will see frequency increased to every 20 minutes from the current 30 minutes operated by the 14 service.
The existing 4 service frequency also increases to 10 minutes including its circular from Pudsey Bus Station via Chapletown, Waterloo, and Highfield Green with the 4G link at Galloway Lane served instead by the X11 Bradford-Pudsey-Leeds.
Bus waiting times at Highfield Green will be significantly reduced, with First Leeds bossed hoping a more consistent timetable will avoid lengthy layovers. The move follows concerns from local residents.
Stuart Fillingham, Network & Schedules Manager at First West Yorkshire, said:
“We’ve looked carefully at how better road infrastructure to introduce bus priority can enable us to create an improved Pudsey network and connections into Leeds city centre. These changes will mean more buses and greater reliability in journey times which we think will be welcomed by everyone.”
In advance of the works on the A647 with the remodelling of the “Mike’s Carpets” junction in Armley, the 14 and 15 services swap routes from here.
The 14 is rerouted to serve Ledgard Way and Kirkstall Road towards Leeds city centre and will be extended to Logic Business Park in the east.
The 15 will be rerouted to serve Armley Road and Armley Gyratory to cover the 14 reroute and will terminate at Park Row.
As part of the network simplification, the X14 is replaced with the 14 service. From the 16 May this will provide a consistent timetable of journeys every 30 minutes. First Leeds will monitor loadings and consider adding additional journeys where needed, although double-decker buses will now be used consistently on the 14 service.
The X11 Bradford-Leeds service will continue to provide a more direct route from Pudsey Bus Station to the centre of Leeds.
Elsewhere, the 16 and 16A will remain unchanged with a frequency every 15 minutes.
Services to the Owlcotes Centre also remain unchanged.
X14 concerns
Concerns about the replacement of the X14 service have been expressed on social media. User Douglas Tunnock, who boards the bus on Kent Road, has contacted WLD to express his concerns.
First Leeds say the 14 takes 48 minutes into Leeds and the X14 just three minutes less at 45 minutes. The most direct service between Pudsey centre and Leeds centre remains the X11 at 31 minutes. They also say the moves will simplify the network as well as address irregular gaps in the timetable.
But Mr Tunnock argues the early morning X14 journeys do not take 45 minutes to reach town, it’s nearer 20-25 minutes. He added: “The extended route of the 14 combined with the number of turns and a driver changeover make this a much longer and less comfortable experience; I have used both routes before at differing times and am well-placed to make this judgement.”
More details
The changes have been agreed with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and full details with new timetables will be available on the First Leeds website from w/c 3 May 2021.
First Leeds will also be at the Pudsey Produce and Craft Market in Pudsey Market Place on 2 May from 9am to offer information and advice and answer any questions.
History
Calls for more regular, reliable and swift services in Pudsey aren’t a new thing.
As reported by WLD, they were first made at a public forum meeting in 2016, which was followed up later that year with a packed public meeting at Cafe Lux. A public consultation by First then followed, with a new timetable implemented in January 2017. The changes were met with a mixed response and there have been tweaks to the timetable since then.
In February, councillors on the Outer West Community Committee called for dramatic improvements to bus services as part of a city-wide strategy to help make luring people away from car usage a reality.
What do you think?
Have your say on the latest proposals in our poll below:
The altered services have the 16 service at every 15 min’s. This has been the case whilst reduced “covid services” have operated but services should now be getting back to normal and the 16 service used to be every 8 min’s. Let’s at least hope the reduced service will actually run, unlike the previous full service, when many buses were cancelled.
Sorry, but the no 16 is one of the worst busses especially on a morning. The bus at 7:45 is continuously not turning up. It comes straight from the garage. I get told by drivers that if there are no drivers or spare busses it just gets cancelled . It has already knocked twice this week. So there are lots of people waiting for The 8am one. So from 7:30 until 8am if it does not turn up is an half an hour wait. That’s peak time as well.
What is really annoying is when the 7:45 has knocked and the 8:00 one turns up and sits and waits until 8.This can be as much as 15 mins sometimes. This is really frustrating when it happens. Most of the drivers say not my fault. Complain. I am sick of complaining about this bus. I am now recording when it turns up. Cannot understand either when they change the times for 2/3 minutes.
What about the No 9 bus timetable ?
This bus is still running as a single decker so not as many people can get on the bus.
Also it is still an hourly bus timetable.
A bus leaves the White Rose at 16.42 then the next one is 18.45 !!!!
How can you justify this ?
More buses need to be on this route..
The buses are passing me full…
I think the changes overall would appear to offer a more regular service. Seems like a step forward for once.
But we’ve all seen First talk the talk before. Let’s see how they put this into practice before we start praising or criticising
Id welcome any regular service, how about bus from Pudsey to Lidl stanningley, I not able to walk very well and there isn’t a service hence I unable to go
So many of the 16 buses are terminating at Bramley shopping centre, leaving people further on the route unable to get home.
Yesterday (Friday)waiting on Boar lane the 16 that came at 4 minutes past 4 pm only went to bramley ,this is happening all the time it leaves you unable to get home it needs sorting out
No bus service from Littlemoor road to Armley where I work.choice is 4f to pudsey and then wait for x11 or walk to valley road for 14 which takes nearly twice the time of x14. Only choice of 14 for return journey. In view of changes my travelling time is longer I need to leave earlier and return home later….the service is not an improvement in relation to my circumstances
My friend and I On Friday evening 9th July waited for a number 16 bus at th bus stop the temporary one near the mecca bingo hall in leeds,believe it or not for 2 hours!!!!!!!!not one 16 appeared,thought we couldn’t beat last Fridays waiting time of 1your and twenty miuites,please what is the reason for this, it is disgracefull service,it took me exactly 3 hours by the time I got to my destination at pudsey!!