Additional Buses Deployed to Address Overcrowding on Leeds Route

More buses have been deployed to alleviate strain on a significant bus route operating within and near Leeds. This action follows passenger complaints characterizing recent alterations to the service as an “utter shambles”. The X84 limited-stop service, which linked Leeds, Otley, and Ilkley, was superseded in October by the 25 and 26 routes. These new services include frequent stops between Leeds city centre and Headingley. However, some daily travelers reported experiencing journey delays and observed overcrowded buses, making it challenging to find seating. First Bus attributed “severe congestion” affecting the 25 and 26 services to ongoing roadworks. The company also mentioned the introduction of “duplicate buses” during peak hours to alleviate capacity demands. First Bus pinpointed the “bunching of buses” along the Headingley corridor as the core problem, with the additional services intended to “spread the pick-up of customers”. Dawn Lennie, employed near the Merrion Centre in Leeds, stated she must walk to the bus station to secure a seat, as buses frequently approach full capacity by the time they reach her workplace stop. Ms Lennie remarked, “And that’s only the third stop.” She added, “I’m lucky that I work in the centre of Leeds, but there are people getting on the bus around the university and going back to Otley who are unable to get on because it is full to bursting by the time it gets there.” Ms Lennie expressed apprehension regarding the safety of school children when buses, already at full capacity, cannot accommodate them. She commented, “If the bus goes past them, they’re having to wait an extra hour or so, on dark nights.” Helen Light, a 51-year-old commuter, similarly reported needing to travel to Leeds City Bus Station to ensure she could get a seat. She stated, “It’s a sad state of affairs when 50 years ago transport was better.” Ms Light further remarked, “The X84 was unreliable in peak early evenings, but fitting in working hours around childcare now fills me with dread as it’s even worse.” Liam Brown, 27, who oversees a charity shop in Otley, characterized the recently introduced services as “an utter shambles”. He commented, “What was a 40-minute journey is now over an hour on a good day, and that’s if and when the buses actually turn up.” Mr. Brown added, “I’ve been unable to see my other half, who lives in Leeds, due to the lack of buses, and work-wise I’ve had volunteers stop coming down as they can’t reliably commute.” A First Bus spokesperson stated: “Since the change to this service was introduced at the end of October, an important contributory factor to the delays we have experienced is the severe congestion on this corridor created by roadworks.“We have conducted a thorough analysis of the 25/26 services and this identified bunching of buses serving the Headingley corridor, causing capacity pressures. The spokesperson further elaborated: “From Monday we have introduced duplicate buses on the services immediately preceding the 25/26 during the peak period from approximately 16:00-18:30 GMT Monday to Friday.”This will alleviate capacity pressure and spread the pick-up of customers.”