Bus campaign fails to reverse axe decision - but do we have a good service in Leeds?

A campaign to save a 'lifeline' bus service used by elderly residents in a Leeds suburb has received a blow after bus operators said they would not fund the service. The decision, by Arriva Yorkshire , has led to renewed calls for greater regulation of bus companies. As reported in February , hundreds of residents in Rothwell signed a petition to restore the 443 bus service, claiming it was a vital lifeline for them. The axing of the service last year resulted in a large number of complaints from bus users, many of whom are elderly without cars. A petition was presented by councillor Stewart Golton to Arriva Yorkshire's commercial director, Stuart Bear. Leader of Leeds Liberal Democrats and Rothwell councillor Golton said: "Arriva announced these cuts last summer without any consultation. They have had a major impact on many Rothwell residents who relied on the service – many visiting family graves at Rothwell cemetery. "Mr Bear [has] said that to reinstate the lost services would be an 'inconvenience' to most of their customers and would result in lost revenue to Arriva. "Arriva were quite happy to inconvenience people so it's curious that they should use that as a reason not to reinstate the service." Deputy chairman of Metro - and Otley and Yeadon Liberal Democrat councillor - Ryk Downes said that Arriva's decision was a good example of why there should be greater regulation of bus contractors . Through quality bus contracts, Metro wants to regulate bus service operators by awarding them contracts allowing them to operate, which would contain conditions relating to the quality of services provided by each operator, such as reliability and cost of services, and allow Metro to 'police' the quality of their services. Downes added: "This is further proof that quality bus contracts are required for West Yorkshire, so that bus companies cannot cut bus services at whim. "Passengers want, and deserve, better. They need to be able to rely on public transport." In an email to Golton, Arriva's Bear said revised services were working well and were showing passenger growth. Bear wrote: "To provide the 'lost' links would create a further major change to the network in Rothwell with resultant inconvenience to most of our current customers and a reduction in the current service frequency to some areas of the town. "The only opportunity would be to provide an additional bus and driver which I am sorry to say is not feasible as the revenue we expect to receive would not meet the costs of the operation." Arriva Yorkshire, meanwhile, has launched its own page on Facebook in a bid to help passengers keep uo to date with the latest news and views. Metro awards contracts to Centrebus Passenger transport authority Metro has awarded an operator called Centrebus tenders for 11 subsidised services currently run by First. Responsibility for another six services is being split between First and Centrebus. A full list of service changes and further details can be found in an announcement on First's website . The change is due to the tenure of contracts being reviewed by Metro. Holt Pak Today looks at the effects on its community here while the YEP carries the full story here . Services being affected by a number of changes by First from July 25 include: 5, 8, 9, 31/32, 33, 38, 42, 61, 62, 63, 63A, 66, 74A, 85, 86, 86A, 87A, 90, 81, 91A, 757, 781 and X84. A detailed timetable of bus changes can be found here . Passengers 'happy' with their bus journeys A new survey of bus passengers in West Yorkshire has revealed that 91% are satisfied with their bus journey. Conducted by Passenger Focus , the Bus Passenger Survey looked how different operators and Passenger Transport Executives handled key areas such as punctuality, frequency and provision of information and facilities at bus stops. The full report can be downloaded here . Leeds student bus campaign As previously reported , student unions for the University of Leeds , Leeds Metropolitan University and Leeds Trinity University College in Horsforth have united under the banner of Leeds Student Bus Service Campaign in a bid to improve bus reliability, increased frequency of buses and fairer pricing. The campaign has said it may launch a major protest in the autumn if city bus operators don't lower fares and improve services. What do you think about bus services in Leeds? Have your say in the comments section below.