AIREBOROUGH and Wharfedale councillors have raised concerns about service reliability with First Bus.

The performance of the 33A Otley to Leeds bus, which also serves Horsforth, Rawdon, Guiseley and Yeadon, was among the items discussed with the company's Managing Director, Paul Matthews.

The meeting took place last week and was attended by Councillor Paul Wadsworth (Con, Guiseley & Rawdon), Councillor Sandy Lay (Lib Dem, Otley & Yeadon) and Councillor Neil Buckley(Con, Alwoodley).

Cllr Wadsworth, who sits on the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Leeds District Consultation Sub-Committee, said: "The meeting was constructive and worthwhile.

"We were able to put across a number of common problems and complaints, and to their credit First accepted there have been issues on a number of routes.

"It was reassuring to hear that progress has been made with regard to the condition of the fleet, which should certainly reduce the number of breakdowns and problems with the vehicles themselves.

"But there is still much work to do.

"Leeds is hoping to make a step-change in the quality of its transport infrastructure over the coming years, but crucial to that success will be the effectiveness of our bus services.

"Modernisation and better working practices are key.

"Over the coming months we are planning more meetings with First to see both the depot and the control centre, and to really drill down into how problems develop on a route and how they are dealt with."

He added: "At the end of the day people want a reliable service and up to date information about that service.

"We will continue to work with First to find the best way of making that happen consistently across all routes in the city."