Written evidence from C Walker (BUS 86)
I am 17 years old currently studying at Craven College,
Skipton. I have seen an email that says your company wants people
to write in about cuts made to public services and how it has
affected people. North Yorkshire Council are cutting the times
of the X59 bus from Skipton to Harrogate, this bus is the only
bus to link Skipton and Harrogate. It's £3.10 return (with
a half fair pass) £6.20 without. Many users are affected
by the time reductions, the bus currently runs every hour, from
8:30 am leaving Harrogate, the journey is around 50 minutes. North
Yorkshire Council want to cut the service to just two times a
day, the first one leaving Harrogate would be 9:50 and the final
journey back to Harrogate would be 2:50 pm.
I regularly use this service along with many others,
I use the bus to do my duke of Edinburgh Gold at Pately Bridge,
and to see my boyfriend on weekends. The times that the bus would
run now wouldn't be of any help to me as I finish college at 4:00
pm on a Monday and can't get back to Harrogate cheaply without
this bus. To get from Harrogate to Skipton using the train (as
it would be the only other way if the 8:30 am bus didn't run)
would mean catching the 7:50 train to Leeds, which would arrive
at Leeds at 8:30 am then I would have to catch the 8:50 am Skipton,
arriving at Skipton at 9:24, this would roughly cost £13.
I finish college at 4:00pm and would normally get the 4.30 bus
to Harrogate which would get me back to Harrogate for 5.25 whereas
I would now have to wait for the 16.49 train to Leeds, then I
would catch the 17.44 and get back to Harrogate for 18.16. This
is a huge inconvenience for me, as I start scouts at 7:15, I would
have to catch the 18:30 to Pately I would get their at 19:30 not
only would I be late but will have had nothing to eat and not
be dressed correctly.
Furthermore, my friend's from college use this bus
every day, they are saying they won't be able to afford to get
to college every day, paying £13 to get there, and are thinking
of dropping out of education. I have been fighting for this service,
we have over 200 signatures to save the bus, and many emails that
have been sent by other users, who use it for work, leisure and
to see friends. Users are of all ages, and this bus is normally
full with people.
What more can I do to save this bus?
March 2011
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