Transport News Advice and Comment

During my absence on holiday, First  York has changed some timings on the No.11 service. 

These affect only departure times from York to Bishopthorpe. 

Daytime departure times are now -09 and -39 from The Stonebow, and -15 and -45 from York Station. 

These changes fit badly with arrival times of trains from Harrogate and some trains from Leeds, and have already resulted in local people being faced with a long wait for the bus home.    

The benefit ought to be that buses arrive at and leave Bishopthorpe on time. (Departure times from Bishopthorpe are as before, i.e. -08 and -38 from Keble Park, and approx. -15 and -45 from Bishopthorpe.) 

The hourly evening service leaves The Stonebow at -45, with the last bus at 10-45. 

First York has announced changes to some of its timetables. Unfortunately, copies were not yet available when I enquired this week. So far as I have been able to discover, our local (No.11) service is unaffected. Contact First York for further information.

 (See May 28th Entry for update on this.)

Reminder - Yorkshire Coastliner's summer timetable comes into effect from Sunday 18th May. Copies were not available in York this week, but should be in local Tourist Information Offices before the change occurs.

Ian 

The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) has announced  changes  to rail tickets types. This is claimed to be a simplification which will be helpful to customers. Some people may consider it to be a disguised fare increase.

In future there will be only three ticket types - Anytime, Advance and Off Peak.

Anytime Tickets are, as now, tickets one can buy immediately before travel. They are not restricted to specific trains (outward) or dates (return). They will be expensive. They will be available from 7th September. 

Advance Tickets were introduced from 24th April. They ae cheaper than Anytime Tickets, but are restricted to a specific train at a specific time. They may be purchased until the day before travel. Railcard discounts apply to these tickets.  There is a swingeing penalty  for changing  the time/date of travel. Some people will have bought various (old) types of advance tickets already.These will still be valid for the journeys specified on them.

Off Peak Tickets will be available from 7th September. Single and return versions will be on sale. Essentially, they will replace the existing Cheap Day Returns. The serious drawback is that there will be a late afternoon/early evening peak period during which they may not be used. This is expected to be from 3-30 p.m. to 6-15 p.m. - a serious drawback for those of us who use day returns for medium-distance journeys (e.g. Manchester; Sheffield) and in particular for students on daily journeys to college.. 

Ian 

A new service - "Yorkshirexpress" - (X54)  between York and Harrogate started on Monday April 28th.

The service interval is 90 minutes, commencing (from York Piccadilly) at 0935. The journey time is one hour. The last bus leaves York at 1835.  There is no Sunday service. 

Buses travel via York Station, Manor School, Green Hammerton, Knaresborough, Starbeck and Harrogate. There are restrictions on picking-up and setting- down points  between York & Manor School, and between  Knaresborough and Harrogate. All stops between Manor School & Knaresborough are served.

The operator is Harrogate & District (Transdev).

There is, of course, the alternative of an hourly rail service along the same route. 

The timetable booklet for this year's Moorsbus  service is now available from local  tourist information offices  and direct  from the North York Moors National Park, The Old Vicarage, Helmsley,  N.Yorks. YO62 5BP, phone 01439 770 657, www.visitthemoors.uk.net/moorsbus or email moorsbus@moors.uk.net  National Park Officers will be happy to provide an individual route/timetable for you on request.

There is an extensive network of services feeding into and criss-crossing the Moors area. The bus to Helmsley from York leaves York Station at 9-15 for Helmsley, where various connecting buses are available. The return journey leaves Helmsley at 17-30, arriving in York at approx 18-45. It is also possible to take the Coastliner buses from York to Pickering and Thornton-le-Dale and join the Moorsbus services there.

Concessionary Pass holders travel free, as do children under 5. Otherwise, all-day tickets cost £4 within the Moors area or £7 from outside the area (e.g.York). Family tickets (max. 2 adults & 3 children) are £8 & £14  respectively. Moorsbus tickets are valid on Coastliner services between Malton & Whitby. For journeys from Leeds, York, etc. Coastliner Freedom tickets (£12  adults or £27 family) are valid on all Coastliner and Moorsbus services. Motorists parking at Moors National Park carparks will be refunded the parking charge on their Moorsbus ticket purchase.

Moorsbus services run on Sundays and Bank Holidays (incl. Easter Sat.) from 24th March to 26th October and daily throughout the summer holiday period (20th July to 31st August). Some services operate on other dates (see timetable booklet). These include a Farndale Daffodil service duting Easter and on Sundays from 23 March to 20th April.

Some museums and local businesses offer discounts to Moorsbus ticket holders (but not to those travelling free on concessionary passes).   

Local companies will operate services as follows:

1st York 

On Good Friday and Easter Monday - Sunday timetable 

Easter Saturday - normal Saturday timetable

Easter Sunday - normal Sunday timetable

C1 Askham Bar to Tadcaster via Bishopthorpe

Service on Easter Saturday only 

Yorkshire Coastliner

Easter Monday - Saturday timetable

Normal timetables on the other days 

Ian 

According to this evening's Press, York City Council at its budget meeting last night agreed to continue travel privileges for  bus pass holders.

Since there is a national obligation to provide free bus travel  for over-60's and other bus pass holders, I assume this decision must mean that the local benefit of travel from 9 a.m.  will be continued.

I will publish further news on this once it becomes available.

Ian 

Proposals to add parts of North Yorkshire to the West Yorkshire Metro travel area are being discussed.

The Metro area is divided into concentric zones, and various daily and weekly tickets are available covering parts or all of the system. The suggestion is that Harrogate and York should be included in an outer zone.

Plans for Harrogate's inclusion seem to be quite advanced. York seems to be encountering more problems, with local operators reluctant to agree terms. 

Train fares per mile in West Yorkshire are lower than in North Yorkshire, so commuters to Leeds could gain considerably if Metrocards became available in our area.

 Write to the Leader of York City Council if you have an opinion about this scheme.

Ian

The new National Bus Pass will be issued between 9-30 and 3-30 at the following places and on the following dates: 

The Salvation Army Citadel   3rd - 7th March  (surnames A - K)

                                        10th - 14th March (surnames L - Z)

 The Guildhall     1st - 25th April 

Proof of entitlement  (either existing pass, or evidence of identity and date of birth, plus something proving current address) will be required. Ring 551670 for more information. (They may be able to tell you where the Citadel is!)

 
 Ian

(This information was overtaken by events. See my comments in "Take a seat.." on the News page)
 

As I predicted, there have been changes to the Aircoach service from York Railway Station to Leeds/Bradford Airport.

The route has been altered. There are now extra stops at Upper Poppleton (Wyevale), Knaresborough (St. James' Retail Park) Weeton Station and Leathley Lane End.

The journey time is now a full hour, and the service frequency approx. every 75 minutes.

Contact 1st York on 883000 or Traveline (0871 200 2233) for timetable details.

Two children under 16 may travel free with each paying adult. There are no  concessionary fares and bus passes are not valid. 

Pre-booking  on-line (Yorkair-coach.com) or at the York Station Visitor Information Centre is cheaper than paying on the coach, and pre-booked tickets cover travel from local points into York on 1st York services.

People entitled to concessionary bus passes will receive new ones valid from April 2008.

The new passes will be valid throughout England from 9-30 a.m. on weekdays and all day on Saturdays and Sundays.

Local councils are free to provide extra privileges for their reisdents if they so wish. Until now, York & North Yorkshire have permitted passes to be used from 9-00. York City Council has not ye decided whether to continues this extra concession.

Scotland and Wales have separate schemes, and I am unaware whether there is to be any provision for use of English passes in those areas. At present, you should assume that the pass will be for England only. 

A lot of people have now had letters explaining the scheme. In some cases, they have been asked to provide a new photograph. If this is a problem, it is still possible to have a photograph taken free of charge at the council offices in Exhibition Square.

Thanks to a very positive intervention by our City of York Councillor, John Galvin, bus stop signs throughout Bishopthorpe are being replaced. Each installation includes a timetable box, though as yet few timetables have been posted. It seems that this is the responsibility of the operator, but it seems unfortunate that the City Council does not ensure the publication of timetables for services which it subsidises. This applies to evening and Sunday services in Bishopthorpe, as well as the C1 service.

Usefully, signs carry the information that the stops are for buses both to and from the City.

The provision of a sign on Acaster Lane opposite the Tennis & Bowling Clubs is under consideration, but location is difficult because of  road safety hazards. 

Some work has also been  done to improve the scruffy half-shelter on Keble Park North. Sadly, the small improvements have already been spoiled by a vandal who has taken some trouble to scratch the glass.

Passengers alighting at the Acaster Lane/Keble Park stop should especially benefit from the visibility of the new sign. It is hoped that this will eliminate the fierce braking commonly experienced at this point when drivers only see the sign at the last moment. It must also increase the chance of being deposited on the hard pavement instead of in the wet grass.

If you use a YCC Parking badge in order to get citizens' concessionary parking, you must notify the council if you change your car and provide a photostat of the Vehicle Registration Book to prove ownership. This is to prevent abuse of the privilege.

Separate rules apply to residents who use a company car. Ask YCC for details. 

Extra concession for citizens' evening parking are about to be made. This makes the use of a pass particularly worthwhile. 

From Monday 5th March 2007, children under 11 may travel on First York buses for a fare of 50p for any single journey.

Children over 11 with a YOZone Card (i.e. proof of age & York residence) may also travel for the 50p fare.

Children 11-16 without a YOZone Card pay half fare as at present.

This means that children aged 11-13 who in the past have not needed a YOZone Card should get one as soon as possible.

I understand that City of York Council is urging all  bus operators in York to grant the concession. I am not aware at present of any which do. Since our C of YC closed down the local BusInfo Office, fares information is not centrally available. Check individual operators, or ask on the buses.