Call for Whitby to Leeds Bus to be "Supported by Any Means"

Saturday, 1 April 2023 07:00

By Matthew Pells

Local councillors say the 840 - Whitby to Leeds Coastliner service - should be "maintained and supported by any means"

The call comes from members of North Yorkshire Council's Scarborough and Whitby Area Committee.

There were concerns the route could close this month with the operator saying it was no longer viable, but the introduction of the governments two pound fair scheme has seen passenger numbers increase.

North Yorkshire County Council’s public and community transport manager, Andrew Clarke, says the route will continue through the summer.

A petition titled “Save the 840 Bus to Whitby from Leeds” gathered 621 signatures from local people and was discussed by the committee.

A member of the public involved in organising the petition spoke at the meeting, stating:

“My presentation is to do with making the 840 bus a permanent fixture.

“A taxi ride from Whitby to Malton is £50 which is far beyond most people’s budgets and is prohibitive.

“How do people travel to hospital appointments if the 840 bus is discontinued?”

The speaker highlighted the importance of being able to access healthcare and further “mainline” transport options in York by means of the bus and said that loss of the service “would take the inhabitants of Whitby back to the middle ages”.

She added “The people of Whitby feel it is very important their bus is kept running up until and after October”

Operator Transdev had suggested the service might end this month after falling passenger numbers and increasing costs made the route unviable.

But North Yorkshire County Council’s public and community transport manager - Andrew Clarke - says the situation has improved.

Councillors said the 840 service which is run by Transdev and goes to Leeds via York should be “maintained and supported by any means”.

Coastliner’s parent company Transdev says 13,000 customers in the February half term week took advantage of the £2 maximum one-way fare, saving an average of £5.50 per trip.

The bus operator now says its Coastliner 840 service will not now be withdrawn in early April and a further review of the route’s performance will take place in early Autumn, as Transdev works with North Yorkshire County Council to plan for the longer term.

Transdev Commercial Director Paul Turner said:

“We are delighted to confirm that our Coastliner 840 route will continue this summer, following impressive increases in customer numbers using the service.

“Our current service will continue throughout the summer with minor changes to running times to assist with reliability. We’re also investigating ways to build in extra capacity at the busiest times, to make sure everyone who wants to travel with us can do so – we will announce full details of our summer timetable in due course.

“The Coastliner 840’s longer term future will naturally depend on how it performs beyond the end of June, but we are hoping that customers who discover what an amazing journey it is will want to experience it again, and by doing so, helping to secure it for everyone to enjoy.

“In the meantime, we’re looking forward to what we hope will be a busy summer on Coastliner, as we work with our partners including North Yorkshire County Council to encourage more people to come and enjoy this wonderful scenic journey over the North York Moors to Whitby.”

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