Passengers are urged to "use it or lose it" as new bus service is introduced

Campaigners say the 19A route is the first new service in the area for years, and they are urging passengers to make full use of it.

The service, connecting Rawdon Town Street and Rawdon Crossroads, runs every 30 minutes from Monday to Saturday. It will also go into the centre of Leeds and will stop outside the stations at Horsforth and Leeds.

Clive Woods from Aireborough Civic Society, said: "Local people have been asking for a link between Rawdon Town Street and Rawdon Crossroads for years. We are very pleased that First have listened and introduced this new service, following consultations about the 97 service earlier this year. It is the first new bus service in our area for years."

He said other benefits to the surrounding area would include a 30 minute regular service to Leeds and Yeadon from Henshaw Lane, and an increase from three to five vehicles per hour during the daytime on Monday to Saturday on Rawdon Town Street.

The civic society says the route from Leeds to Horsforth will miss out congested roads -Wellington Street, the A65 and A660 - and should hopefully be less affected by hold-ups.

It is now urging people to "Use it or lose it" - stressing that the new 19A service could disappear if it loses money.

Mr Woods stressed that most buses now have Real Time - which allows passengers to use a computer or mobile to check whether a bus is on time before leaving home. He said the service cuts down on waiting at bus stops and allows passengers to check on buses which don't turn up.

Some bus stops have Real Time Information displayed, and Aireborough Civic Society is calling for these displays to be introduced to more bus stops. Before leaving home passengers can use the link http://yorkshire.acisconnect.com to check that a bus is on time.

The civic society is also calling for measures to reduce congestion on the A65 and A658.

Mr Woods said: "Our local bus services are blighted by congestion in Leeds Centre, at the Horsforth Roundabout and between Rawdon Crossroads and Menston. Congestion leads to long waiting times and cancellations for bus passengers and more cars on our roads. More bus lanes at these congestion points are long overdue if we are to improve services and encourage car owners to use public transport. ACS will continue to campaign for improvements that will help bus users and reduce air pollution for all.

"It does seem strange that politicians are considering spending millions on a road link from Rawdon to the Airport. That will actually increase traffic in our area rather than making improvements that would be far cheaper and would encourage more of us to use bus services, instead of driving."