Revisions Implemented for Major Bus Routes in Leeds City Centre

Significant adjustments have been implemented across several of Leeds’ most frequented bus routes, impacting services connecting the city centre, Headingley, and surrounding communities. These modifications along the Headingley corridor involve the renumbering of numerous services to the 20s, specifically from 22 to 28, a move First Bus stated is intended to “help familiarity for customers”. The transport provider further indicated that these schedule revisions, which became effective on Sunday, are expected to “enhance and better coordinate connectivity” throughout the route corridor. BBC News has examined the implications of these changes for individuals commuting to key destinations along these lines. As a result of these adjustments, an increased number of buses originating from Headingley will now serve the vicinity of Leeds City railway station. The introduction of three new services is projected to provide a bus every seven to eight minutes between Headingley and City Square during weekdays, as reported by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. Service 24 has taken over from bus routes 1 and 8, operating between Beeston and Holt Park. This service will run continuously, 24 hours daily, connecting the city and Headingley, and will offer increased frequency on weekends. Service 22 now substitutes for the 1B route, establishing a connection between Leeds bus station and the railway station. Furthermore, Service 28 has also been re-routed to encompass both the railway station and the bus station. This route also features additional early and late departures. Service 23 has been designated as the new identifier for route 6, which operates between Leeds bus station and Holt Park. While the physical path of the route remains the same, all associated timetables have been revised to incorporate earlier and later travel options. The trajectory of service 27, linking the bus station and Guiseley, remains unaltered; however, an evening service has been reinstated for Monday through Friday and Sundays. Additionally, a route modification has been implemented at Guiseley to facilitate a connection with service 33 at Guiseley Morrisons. Furthermore, both services 22 and 28 now include stops at both the bus station and the railway station. Substantial modifications have also been made to the established X84 service. Previously, this service operated with limited stops between Leeds, Otley, Burley-in-Wharfedale, and Ilkley. It has now been superseded by the newly introduced services 25 and 26. Both new services will travel between Leeds, Otley, and Ilkley, with service 25 additionally covering Pool-in-Wharfedale. A key alteration for these services is the removal of the limited-stop restriction between the city centre and Weetwood, enabling passengers to board and alight at stops within Headingley. Michael Moore, who serves as the Head of Network for First Bus in West Yorkshire, commented: “This comprehensive review of our services in Leeds and to surrounding districts and towns has been carefully planned to bring better reliability, punctuality and connectivity for customers. We have looked at key corridors where we have seen some pressure on the network and capacity and developed timetables to alleviate these.”