Number 12 bus saved – for now

Councillors have welcomed the news that a short-term contract is set to be awarded to a new operator to run the number 12 service until the end of March. The route was put under threat after First announced the plans to entirely withdraw the service from 22 January citing low patronage recovery, increased operating costs and a shortage of available drivers.

Details of the decision, made by council officers on 10th January, are available at https://democracy.york.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=6748

The name of the new operator has not yet been disclosed.

Under the short-term contract, the new operator will receive £59k in financial support in the form of a subsidy to keep an hourly service running until the end of March. A tender for a longer-term replacement service will then take place with the objective of having a full contract in place by 1st April.

This follows a campaign launched by local Lib Dem councillors and campaigners to save the number 12 bus, which has seen over a thousand residents sign a petition and more than 40 attend a public meeting on the future of the route.

At the well-attended public meeting organised by councillors on 18th December, it became very clear how important the service is for many residents who use it to get to the shops, to work, to medical appointments, to school and to meet friends and family. Residents’ feedback on what they would like the service to look like in future has already been shared with council officers, and it will be shared with the new operator.

Councillor for Dringhouses & Woodthorpe Stephen Fenton said:

“The reduction in frequency from every half hour to every hour is disappointing, but if it is a more reliable service, then hopefully more people will be attracted to using it. It’s really crucial now that as many people as possible use the service to ensure that once March comes around, the operator can see the benefits and financial case for sustaining the service in the long term.

“This intervention by the Council is, however, no substitute for a sustainable long term approach to running bus services which are facing unprecedented challenges. Increased costs, driver shortages and slow recovery of usage levels, as well as the cliff edge of Government financial support, has created something of a ‘perfect storm.’

“Unless the sector receives urgent long-term support from the Government, both financially as well as through driver recruitment, more services are likely to face cancellation as the real extent of the bus crisis becomes clear. It is unrealistic to expect councils to solve the looming bus crisis just as inflation hits already overstretched budgets – Government really needs to wake up and act now before it’s too late.”

There will now be a separate tender exercise for the period after March, though the ending of Government financial support means that more local services are likely to need subsidies in order to keep going.

Petition to save number 12 bus tops 1,000

Over 1,000 residents have signed a petition launched in December following an announcement by First that they plan to axe the number 12 bus service from 22nd January.

The online and hard copy petition – and an accompanying survey – was organised by Lib Dem councillors representing the Dringhouses & Woodthorpe and Westfield wards, as the loss of the number 12 would leave many hundreds of residents in Woodthorpe, Acomb Park and Foxwood with no practical access to public transport.

As well as the petition and survey, councillors organised a public meeting, which took place on 18th December at St James the Deacon Church Hall in Woodthorpe. At the meeting around 40 residents shared why the service is important for them, and what they would like the service to look like in future, if it can be retained.

The feedback gathered has been shared with council officers, who are currently working to find an operator to take on the number 12 service after 22nd January.

Stephen Fenton, one of the Lib Dem councillors for Dringhouses & Woodthorpe ward, thanked all those residents who have signed the petition, completed the survey or attended the meeting. Cllr Fenton said: “It was clear from the turnout at the meeting that this is an issue which local residents feel very strongly about, and the numbers who have signed the petition further demonstrates the strength of feeling locally. There were many personal stories shared at the meeting about just how vital the bus service is to enable residents to get to school, college, work, medical appointments or just to have access to some social interaction.

“Many bus operators are struggling with increased costs and driver recruitment, which has impacted service reliability and in turn made it more difficult to retain and attract passengers. And with the Government financial support for the bus industry due to end in March, it has all created something of a ‘perfect storm.’ In York we are better placed than most to weather this storm, having successfully bid for £17m of Bus Service Improvement Plan funding, but the future remains uncertain. The priority has to be to retain geographical coverage to prevent many of York’s communities, such as Woodthorpe, being cut off from access to public transport.”

The petition reads “I the undersigned back the Lib Dem campaign to retain a bus service for the communities currently served by the number 12 and call for the Government help needed to ensure the service’s long term viability.”

First Bus to axe the number 12 service

The local Lib Dem team has vowed to fight to retain local bus services after news emerged that First is planning to withdraw the number 12 / 12A service entirely from 22nd January.

Councillors and campaigners from Dringhouses & Woodthorpe and Westfield wards are fighting to retain local bus services

The route is now being put out to tender in the hope that an operator will take it on and offer a service which residents can rely on.

A report to a council Executive meeting on 15th December notes that Government financial support for bus services will come to an end next March, putting further pressure on already financially-stretched local councils.

The number 12 already benefits from a subsidy from the council, but even with this support, First Bus seem determined to axe the service.

Cllr Stephen Fenton is encouraging residents to sign a petition to retain this vital service, and fill in a survey HERE

Stephen commented “Now we know that First are planning to axe this vital service, it’s critical that an operator is found. I would like to encourage residents to complete our survey so that we can work with council officers to ensure we have a service that meets residents’ needs and which they are more likely to want to use.”

Cllr Ashley Mason added: “Unless bus services receive urgent long term support from the Government both financially as well as through driver recruitment, services will continue to be under constant threat of cuts.”

The local Lib Dem team has organised a public meeting for residents to have their say on local bus services. It will be on Sunday 18th December at 1.30pm at St James the Deacon Church Hall on Sherringham Drive.

Have your say on ‘Enhanced Partnership’ bus plans

Residents are being encouraged to have their say about the detail of a proposed ‘Enhanced Partnership’ between the council and bus operators.

In April this year the Department for Transport made an indicative funding award of £17.3 million to City of York Council for its Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). One of the proposed measures in the Plan is improvements to local bus service levels. To be able to make use of this funding, the council must enter into a statutory Enhanced Partnership with local bus operators.

There is now a public consultation on the Enhanced Partnership plans, which can be accessed at https://www.itravelyork.info/enhanced-partnership-consultation  The consultation closes on 8th September.

In the draft Enhanced Partnership Plan document on page 16 there is a proposed commitment (ref. A-BN1) for the council and bus operators to develop the core bus network, with a view to filling gaps in the current network provision.

In June and July the local Lib Dem councillor team undertook a residents’ survey in Woodthorpe and Acomb Park to gather feedback on local services and issues. One of the issues which frequently came up in the feedback was unhappiness with the number 12/12A bus service.

For many local residents, the 12/12A service is their only practical way of getting around, and so when the service doesn’t run to time or doesn’t turn up, it means that it can’t be relied on if you need to get to work, education or an appointment. And the withdrawal the 11S Sunday service when the pandemic began has left many residents effectively housebound every Sunday.

Last year we welcomed First’s introduction of the 12A service, to restore a half-hourly service between Woodthorpe and the city centre, but the route has not changed back to how it was, meaning that passengers travelling from town to the stops on the Woodthorpe loop have an elongated journey via Foxwood before coming back to Woodthorpe.

All of this means that if the service can’t be relied upon or doesn’t meet people’s needs, they are less likely to use it, and so the service becomes less viable financially.

We believe it is important that First, and the council, understand the importance of the number 12 service for Woodthorpe residents, so we are encouraging everyone to make their voice heard through this consultation.

New 12A to restore half-hourly daytime bus service

Councillor Stephen Fenton has welcomed the restoration of a half-hourly bus service between Woodthorpe and the city centre.

First York have announced that from Monday 27 September there will be a new 12A service which will run Monday to Saturday daytime on an hourly basis between Piccadilly, Foxwood and Woodthorpe, This means that, with the continuing hourly number 12 service between Woodthorpe and Monks Cross, there will in effect be a half-hourly daytime service between Woodthorpe and the city centre.

The new timetable is available on the First York website HERE  

Some points to note:

  • The 12A will operate between Woodthorpe shops and Piccadilly but will not stop at Askham Bar
  • It will go round the ‘Woodthorpe loop’ once, as the 12 does at the moment
  • There’ll still be an hour’s gap between the 6.25am and 7.25am departures from Woodthorpe shops, as the first 12A departure from Woodthorpe shops to Piccadilly will be at 7.55am

Stephen commented “I would like to thanks the many residents who sent me e-mails and messages explaining the impact that the temporary reduction in the frequency of the number 12 has had on them – this feedback has been very helpful in demonstrating to First that the service needs to be restored to its previous frequency as soon as possible. And I would like to thank First York for listening to and acting on this feedback from residents.”

Update from councillors’ meeting with First York

Following the announcement of the introduction of an emergency temporary timetable for the services 1, 4, 6 & 12, Liberal Democrat councillors representing the Dringhouses & Woodthorpe, Westfield and Huntington & New Earswick wards met with First York Managing Director, Ian Humphreys, on Wednesday 25 August.

It was a constructive meeting in which Mr Humphreys set out the challenges that have led to the temporary reduction in service frequency on some routes. We stressed the importance of these service for local residents, for many of whom the bus is their only way to get around, and that residents need to have confidence in the service.

We heard that the timetable changes being made are an emergency response to the current driver shortage and are designed to build in more reliability, albeit with reduced frequency, as an attempt to overcome the need to cancel services at short notice as has happened recently.

We received an assurance that the number 12 service will be a priority for restoration to the previous timetable when there is resource available. In response to concerns we raised about the ability of a reduced service to cope with demand in the morning peak period in particular, we were assured that the number 12 will be a priority for additional capacity to be added in these peak periods if demand indicates that this is needed.

We asked that the operation of the temporary timetable for the number 12 – and the changes which see the ‘Woodthorpe Loop’ removed from Foxwood-bound journeys and Woodthorpe Shops established as the new terminus – are carefully monitored and changes considered where it becomes apparent that this is needed.

We stressed the importance of clear and timely communication, for example explaining the changes being made rather than just issuing a timetable with no accompanying explanation.

Councillors seek urgent meeting to discuss First bus cuts

Liberal Democrat councillors representing the Dringhouses & Woodthorpe and Westfield wards are seeking an urgent meeting with the Managing Director of First York to discuss a sudden reduction in the frequency of some key services.

In a briefing note from the City of York Council’s Transport team, councillors were informed on 23rd August that First is making temporary ‘emergency’ service reductions on routes 1, 4, 6 and 12 from Saturday 28th August. The move has been prompted by a severe shortage of qualified driving staff due to the effects of Covid and Brexit.

The briefing note suggests that these emergency service reductions will be for 3 to 4 weeks initially, but adds that “even with First’s recruitment drive, the time taken to train new driving staff makes it likely that staff shortages will persist well into the autumn/winter, so this issue is likely to remain problematic beyond the initial 3-4 week timescale.”

The worst affected service will be the number 12, which connects Foxwood, Acomb Park, Woodthorpe and Askham Bar with the city centre and then on to Monks Cross. It will run every hour, rather than every 35 minutes. The frequency of the number 1 (Chapelfields to Wigginton) will reduce from 12 to 15 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime, with minor reductions to early morning and evening journeys. And the number 4 (Acomb to the city centre) will run every 20 minutes Saturday daytime, rather than every 15 minutes.

Stephen Fenton, Lib Dem councillor for Dringhouses & Woodthorpe, has written to First York MD Ian Humphreys asking for an urgent meeting to discuss the situation.

Stephen commented: “The number 12 provides a vital service for many residents in Woodthorpe, Acomb Park and Foxwood. Many users of the service are elderly residents, key workers and students who have no realistic alternative means of getting to shops, work or school. And with Woodthorpe’s GP surgery currently shut, the bus is a vital link for residents who are having to travel to the York Medical Group’s surgery in Acomb.

“We all know that the driver shortage, caused by Brexit and Covid, has had a severe impact on many sectors such as logistics and waste collections, and it is good to hear that First are taking steps to recruit new drivers. But I am concerned at the suggestion that residents are likely to face a much diminished bus service for many weeks – possibly months.

“At a time when we need to encourage more people to choose sustainable transport options, I fear that the loss of bus services will make this shift even more difficult to achieve and will hit hardest those residents for whom use of a private car just isn’t an option.”

Tadcaster Road gas works force bus diversion

The works being undertaken by Northern Gas Networks on Tadcaster Road have now reached St Helens Road. As previously reported, St Helens Road is not closed but temporary three-way traffic signals are in use.

There is bad news however for users of the number 4 bus. The layout of bollards at the Tadcaster Road / St Helens Road junction is such that it is too tight for a bus to turn the corner. The Acomb-bound number 4 is therefore being diverted along Tadcaster Road, Moor Lane and then up Chaloners Road, with the same diversion followed on the route into the city centre. This means that the stops on St Helens Road and Eason View are not in operation.

Further information is available on the First York website.

UPDATED – Number 4 bus temporary diversion from 15th March

From 15th March the number 4 bus will be diverted due to work being undertaken by Northern Gas Networks.

St Helens Road will be closed at the Cross Keys, so the number 4 will continue along Tadcaster Road before turning right onto Moor Lane and then right onto Chaloners Road. This means that the stops on Eason View and St Helens Road will not be served.

Map produced by First Bus