Buses connecting villages to city set to increase

The frequency of bus services connecting villages surrounding York with the city centre is set to increase, a bus firm said.

First Bus said it would boost routes between Stamford Bridge, Dunnington, Bishopthorpe, Burnholme and Nether Poppleton to York city centre, with the changes starting on 31 May.

Bus 10 between Poppleton and Stamford Bridge will run every 30 minutes instead of the current 40 minutes, First said, six days a week.

The number 11 between Bishopthorpe and Heworth/Ashley Park will double trips to twice an hour Monday to Saturday.

Stephen Moyle, general manager of First Bus in York, said the changes followed feedback from local passengers and councillors.

"We're sure residents living in these villages surrounding the city and districts along the routes will welcome the better connections this will bring to work, education and leisure," he said.

"We believe this improvement in frequency will help deliver reliability and encourage more trips and more people to use the services."

Kate Ravilious, City of York Council's executive member for transport, said the move would attract more passengers, leading to fewer cars on the roads and more reliable buses.

"It's really positive news for the communities, high streets and attractions that these routes serve, including residents in Poppleton, Bishopthorpe, Holgate, South Bank and Dunnington, plus Bishy Road shops and York Racecourse amongst others," she said.

City of York Council and council funding would also continue to help fund certain journeys on the 10 and 11 routes, she added.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.