Return of city centre express bus

An express bus service is running again between Leeds and nearby towns - four months after it was scrapped.

The limited-stop X84 connects Ilkley and Otley with the city centre.

Last October, it was replaced with slower alternatives which First Bus said would provide "better reliability, punctuality and connectivity".

However, the changes were unpopular with many commuters and the service has been reinstated after more than 3,000 people signed a petition.

The replacement 25 and 26 services, introduced in October, allowed passengers to get on and off the bus at any stop along the route.

Commuters told the BBC the services were an "utter shambles", with some having to walk around a mile (1.6km) from the university to the bus station to make sure they got a seat.

Katie White, MP for Leeds North West, said the changes were "completely unreliable" and were causing people "a lot of frustration".

In December, First introduced "duplicate buses" to help improve capacity.

However the X84, reinstated on Sunday, signals a return to a limited-stop service.

Passengers travelling towards Ilkley will not be able to get off the bus between the city centre and Weetwood - and those travelling into the city will not be able to board as it travels through Headingley.

On weekdays and Saturdays, buses will run every 40 minutes, and on Sundays they will run every hour during the day.

Since October, people in Pool-in-Wharfedale have also had a direct connection to Leeds city centre - as it was included on the route of the new 25 service.

However, this has been scrapped as part of the timetable introduced on Sunday.

Instead, the 25 will now only run between the city centre and Lawnswood School, on weekdays.

Other alterations as part of February's timetable changes include the 22 and 28 services in Leeds no longer running to the railway station.

A spokesperson for First Bus said: "This decision is the result of an extensive review and builds on the immediate actions we took to improve journeys on the existing 25/26 service which replaced the X84."

A full summary of all the February timetable changes is available on the West Yorkshire Metro website.

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