New Mon to Fri bus linking Rothwell and Garforth!

Railways, trams, buses, etc.
Post Reply
p
Posts: 40
Joined: Sat 13 Oct, 2012 7:01 pm

Post by p »

I believe this is a first (no not a First bus but the first time these areas have been linked with a bus) although correct me if I'm wrong. A company called Squarepeg are launching a bus service from Rothwell to Seacroft via Garforth, Colton and Cross Gates on July 28th, I'm suspecting this will follow the number 9 route but again correct me if I'm wrong. Also Leeds based Tetley Motors will be running a free bus (not free, funded by the tax payer!) from Pontefract Hospital via Pinderfields Hospital to Dewsbury Hospital. Bus services already serve these hospitals and I can't honestly see why someone would need to access all 3 hospitals on the same day, maybe 2 of them but that's not going to be for that many people. There's a hospital in Northallerton about to loose it's essential childrens services meaning people in Hawes, Aysgarth, Askrigg etc have one hell of a long treck (especally if they don't drive) to James Cook in Middlesbrough, York District Hospital and others. Surely the money the NHS has allocated for this bus could be used to provide some level local childrens services say within doctors surgeries for children in the upper Dales.

User avatar
tyke bhoy
Posts: 2412
Joined: Wed 21 Feb, 2007 4:48 am
Location: Leeds/Wakefield
Contact:

Post by tyke bhoy »

p wrote: I believe this is a first (no not a First bus but the first time these areas have been linked with a bus) although correct me if I'm wrong. A company called Squarepeg are launching a bus service from Rothwell to Seacroft via Garforth, Colton and Cross Gates on July 28th, I'm suspecting this will follow the number 9 route but again correct me if I'm wrong. As well as the ring road bus there are a couple of current Arriva services that get close to linking the two. 168 Leeds - Castleford goes via Pontefract Road to Oulton and then via Woodlesford and Swillington174 Wakefield - Aberford gets as close to Rothwell as Oulton roundabout and goes through Garforth. p wrote: Also Leeds based Tetley Motors will be running a free bus (not free, funded by the tax payer!) from Pontefract Hospital via Pinderfields Hospital to Dewsbury Hospital. Bus services already serve these hospitals and I can't honestly see why someone would need to access all 3 hospitals on the same day, maybe 2 of them but that's not going to be for that many people. Have you picked this up on a tender announcement/documentation? The service has probably been put out to renewed tender but has been running for several years (probably since the inception of the Mid Yorks Hospital Trust to which all 3 hospital belong) It isn't for patients but is a shuttle service for staff. It partly cuts down on single occupancy and partly provides a service for staff who have no alternative means of getting to a workplace they have been assigned to. Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust also runs a similar service between LGI and Jimmy's and the shuttle is seen near the LGI almost as often as the City Bus. Oh and an aquaintance who works for Mid Yorks has mentioned that she has worked on all 3 sites on the one day and fairly regularly works at 2 despite her base being at Pindersfields.
living a stones throw from the Leeds MDC border at Lofthousehttp://tykebhoy.wordpress.com/

User avatar
tyke bhoy
Posts: 2412
Joined: Wed 21 Feb, 2007 4:48 am
Location: Leeds/Wakefield
Contact:

Post by tyke bhoy »

Sorry straying even further OT as this is the non Leeds related part of the topic tyke bhoy wrote: Have you picked this up on a tender announcement/documentation? I see now that the original poster probably picked up this and the other new service from Metro service changes documentation http://www.wymetro.com/uploadedFiles/WY ... nges.pdfIt looks like the MidYorks Trust is opening up a service that they already operate to Out Patients and Visitors thereby bringing it under the auspices of metro. Its a good idea if there is spare capacity but may cause issues should it prove so popular that some trips are "oversubscribed" particularly if its just some wags wanting a free trip on totally non health related business. Outpatients and staff will be relatively easy to verify via appointment letters and staffid but are they going to challenge visitors to name the patient and ward they will be visiting?
living a stones throw from the Leeds MDC border at Lofthousehttp://tykebhoy.wordpress.com/

raveydavey
Posts: 2886
Joined: Thu 22 Mar, 2007 3:59 pm
Location: The Far East (of Leeds...)
Contact:

Post by raveydavey »

tyke bhoy wrote: p wrote: I believe this is a first (no not a First bus but the first time these areas have been linked with a bus) although correct me if I'm wrong. A company called Squarepeg are launching a bus service from Rothwell to Seacroft via Garforth, Colton and Cross Gates on July 28th, I'm suspecting this will follow the number 9 route but again correct me if I'm wrong. As well as the ring road bus there are a couple of current Arriva services that get close to linking the two. 168 Leeds - Castleford goes via Pontefract Road to Oulton and then via Woodlesford and Swillington174 Wakefield - Aberford gets as close to Rothwell as Oulton roundabout and goes through Garforth. p wrote: Also Leeds based Tetley Motors will be running a free bus (not free, funded by the tax payer!) from Pontefract Hospital via Pinderfields Hospital to Dewsbury Hospital. Bus services already serve these hospitals and I can't honestly see why someone would need to access all 3 hospitals on the same day, maybe 2 of them but that's not going to be for that many people. Have you picked this up on a tender announcement/documentation? The service has probably been put out to renewed tender but has been running for several years (probably since the inception of the Mid Yorks Hospital Trust to which all 3 hospital belong) It isn't for patients but is a shuttle service for staff. It partly cuts down on single occupancy and partly provides a service for staff who have no alternative means of getting to a workplace they have been assigned to. Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust also runs a similar service between LGI and Jimmy's and the shuttle is seen near the LGI almost as often as the City Bus. Oh and an aquaintance who works for Mid Yorks has mentioned that she has worked on all 3 sites on the one day and fairly regularly works at 2 despite her base being at Pindersfields. The LGI / Jimmy's shuttle bus also serves a staff Park and Ride up the Bridle Path at Seacroft Hospital - or at least it did last summer.The two most notable things about this were that it left virtually nowhere for patients to park other than the tiny car park at the main gates, and that it seemed about as well used as the councils P+R white elephant at Elland Road judging by the number of cordoned off but empty spaces.
Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act – George Orwell

User avatar
Croggy1
Site Admin
Posts: 178
Joined: Fri 28 Dec, 2012 6:46 pm

Post by Croggy1 »

I saw two 'Squarepeg' double deckers going down York Road, towards town this afternoon. I did wonder what they were ...

User avatar
tyke bhoy
Posts: 2412
Joined: Wed 21 Feb, 2007 4:48 am
Location: Leeds/Wakefield
Contact:

Post by tyke bhoy »

Croggy1 wrote: I saw two 'Squarepeg' double deckers going down York Road, towards town this afternoon. I did wonder what they were ... http://www.sqrpeg.co.uk/ It looks like they run school busses which may call for double deckers but I can't really see the new route needing anything above a single decker given, taking out the loop in Garforth, its pretty much shadowing the "ring road" service which has always been serviced by single deckers.
living a stones throw from the Leeds MDC border at Lofthousehttp://tykebhoy.wordpress.com/

Brodleian
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri 01 Aug, 2014 8:37 am

Post by Brodleian »

"Squarepegged-it" between Seacroft and Crossgates on Thursday. Double-decker in use, which was more than adequate for the two of us aboard. Crew [sic] were very helpful, offering (professionally produced) timetables and pens at stops along route. But, given that Metro will have had to produce new timetables and kerb-side information for what is a possibly doomed venture . . .

User avatar
tyke bhoy
Posts: 2412
Joined: Wed 21 Feb, 2007 4:48 am
Location: Leeds/Wakefield
Contact:

Post by tyke bhoy »

Welcome Broadleian. Maybe its well used round the loop in Garforth and that means it won't be doomed.It reminds me there was a short lived venture when a Wakefield based company ran services in the cross green/jimmys area. So in positioning moves they ran into Leeds in the morning and out in the late afternoon as direct competition to Arriva's x41/110 services. The buses were older than the most decrepit single deckers Arriva could find and therefore on the few times I saw them were less full than the Leeds P&Rs are now. I guess they weren't much of a success on their substantive route becuase the very next changing times leaflet from Metro announced the service would end before the next change time date.
living a stones throw from the Leeds MDC border at Lofthousehttp://tykebhoy.wordpress.com/

Post Reply