Lessons learnt from North Yorkshire’s on-demand bus service will be key in developing a long-term transport strategy for rural areas as the service ends, says North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC). The ‘pilot’ YorBus service was launched by NYCC in July 2021 to operate in the Ripon, Bedale and Masham area with the aim of offering passengers low-cost journeys on demand.
Executive Member for Highways and Transport Councillor Keane Duncan said the pilot, which ends on 30 June, has provided valuable insights about demand responsive transport in rural areas. He said: “We launched the YorBus pilot two years ago to enhance our existing public transport network. It has allowed us to gather valuable information about the costs and benefits of running a digital demand responsive bus service.
“While YorBus proved popular with passengers, the service only operates in one part of the county and the cost per journey is significantly higher than the traditional, timetabled bus routes we support. Without sufficient additional funding being available to expand the service so YorBus can benefit residents across North Yorkshire, and with costs per journey remaining so high despite efforts to improve value for money, the pilot will come to an end as planned.
“This will allow us to be fair to all residents and focus every penny of our limited resources on supporting bus services across the county at a time of unprecedented pressure. “While continuing to work closely with operators to support at-risk services, we are also currently reviewing a number of initiatives to improve rural transport and asking the public for their views to help shape our future strategy.”
YorBus was launched in July 2021 for a one-year trial, but the former North Yorkshire County Council decided to extend it for a further year with the addition of a free pre-booking feature. The YorBus pilot cost almost £230,000 to operate annually, using one-off council funding, and the council’s figures showed YorBus journeys worked out at more than double the cost of a scheduled service.
Last year, the county council was unsuccessful in its bid for £116 million to invest in bus services in the Government’s Bus Back Better scheme, part of which would have been used for the expansion of YorBus across the region.
On Monday 22 May, NYCC launched its ‘Let’s Talk Transport’ survey, encouraging residents to share their travel habits in a bid to shape a transport strategy for the coming decades. Lessons from the YorBus pilot will help to form the first draft of the new Local Transport Plan, the council says. The two YorBus vehicles returned to its fleet for use on other local bus services and their drivers will be redeployed.
