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30
Sept
Harrogate Bus Company announces changes to key routes
Harrogate Bus Company has announced significant changes to local services from October 27.
The flagship 36 that runs from Ripon to Leeds via Harrogate and the 24 between Harrogate and Pateley Bridge are among those affected.
But perhaps the biggest change will see the 1C and 1D services in Knaresborough merged into one in a move the company, which is owned by French firm Transdev, said will improve reliability.
The 1C will continue to the Bar Lane roundabout, near The Pastures development, every 30 minutes, in place of the 1D.
Transdev, which owns Harrogate Bus Company, said in a statement:
This gives a more frequent service, as well as evening and Sunday buses, for residents of The Pastures and the Castle Locke development on Boroughbridge Road, which are both within walking distance.
Buses on Sunday evenings will be re-timed to allow better connections in Harrogate with other buses, and we're introducing buses on the 1B on Sunday evenings too.
The firm said it also planned to put extra drivers and buses on the route to improve the service, which is often blighted by congestion on Knaresborough Road.
The current service runs every 10 minutes Harrogate to Knaresborough all day.
From October 27, the bus will still run every 10 mins during off peak times but increase to every 7 minutes during rush hours.
From Knaresborough, the buses extend as a 1A (to Aspin), 1B (Eastfield), 1C (Carmires), 1D (Carmires & Pastures), every 30 minutes on each service except the 1C and 1D which are once per hour.
The changes mean that the company will no longer serve the stop at The Pastures, turning round at the roundabout at Bar Lane.
At the moment there is no Sunday service to the stop and the last bus is at 6.20pm Monday to Saturday.
The increased timetable will run every 30 minutes to this stop, 7 days a week, with last bus after midnight.
The changes aim to create a more frequent service, as well as evening and Sunday buses, for residents of The Pastures and the Castle Locke development on Boroughbridge Road.
Buses on Sunday evenings will also be re-timed to allow better connections in Harrogate with other buses. There will also be 1B Sunday evening buses.
A spokesperson for The Harrogate Bus Company said:
We are always reviewing our routes to ensure we provide the best possible service to our customers. We are taking this opportunity to review our routes on the 1, in partnership with North Yorkshire Council, to provide extra buses during the busiest times and improve our reliability as congestion continues to get worse on Knaresborough Road.
We’ll be merging our 1C and 1D routes which includes serving one fewer bus stop, but we will be able to provide more stops with a more frequent bus, plus a new evening and Sunday service.
Councillor Matt Walker, who represents Knaresborough West on North Yorkshire Council for the Liberal Democrats, said:
Knaresborough residents have previously been let down by unreliable bus services connecting Knaresborough and Harrogate and I hope the changes bring a better and more reliable services to residents, commuters and tourists.
The company also said that it would be making some changes to improve reliability on other services, including the 2, 3, 6, 7, 24, X98 X99.
Also, the 36 will have new trips early on Sunday morning, departing Starbeck from at 7:32am and the Harrogate Bus Station at 7:45am towards Leeds, and from Leeds at 8.40am going towards Harrogate.
For more information and the new timetables click here.
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