Arriva Yorkshire makes significant changes to bus timetables across Wakefield, Dewsbury and Halifax after congestion issues, rising fuel costs and wages

Before Christmas the bus operator announced that it will be making “efficient changes in early 2023” to its timetables after issues with roadworks and driver shortages.

And now Arriva Yorkshire has announced the changes will be introduced from Sunday January 29.

The company says that “most services will be amended to improve punctuality for passengers” but some evening services between Cleckheaton and Heckmondwike will no longer run and evening trips between Cleckheaton and Dewsbury have also been cut.

A statement on Arriva Yorkshire’s website said: “Traffic levels have changed since the pandemic and the running time we have on some routes is not enough to cope with the volume of congestion we’re experiencing.

"These issues have impacted all routes across our Kirklees network as our drivers don’t just drive one route each day. And whilst we have some resilience in our timetables, the level of congestion on some routes is delaying us by up to 30 minutes, which far exceeds the level of contingency we have built in.

"We’re having to add much more running time to compensate for this, and whilst we recognise that this considerably slows down the advertised bus journey time, it is sadly now more reflective of our recent experiences battling through the traffic.

"Metro provides a financial subsidy for us to run certain journeys on some local town routes, but unfortunately the cost of operating these trips is now too high, due to the rising cost of fuel, energy and wages.

"The trips aren’t being heavily used by passengers, and so they no longer meet Metro’s criteria for funding support.

"This has meant that some evening trips on services 250 and 271 will no longer run, and the 261 will no longer run between Cleckheaton and Heckmondwike (it will still run between Heckmondwike, Mirfield and Huddersfield).

"The drivers who operate these trips will be re-allocated across our Kirklees network to help cover the routes which now need extra running time.”

The statement also said: "Overall, this change increases the number of drivers we need, which adds to the industry’s current driver shortage issues.

"As bus journeys across Yorkshire become slower due to traffic congestion and certain infrastructure schemes, it takes more drivers for us to run our services to the same frequency, and it makes our services more expensive to run which impacts their viability. We will continue to make the case for more bus priority measures across Yorkshire.”

Here are all the changes to services across Wakefield, Pontefract, Dewsbury, Batley, and Halifax.

126 - Wakefield – Horbury – Ossett – Chickenley – Dewsbury

There are changes to the timetable to improve punctuality. The service will still operate up to every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime, up to every 30 minutes Sunday daytime, and up to every hour each evening.

200/201 - Leeds – White Rose Shopping Centre – Morley – Cleckheaton/Batley – Heckmondwike

There are major changes to the timetable with most journeys running 8 minutes later than previously. This is following local feedback about the timing of onward connections.

This also provides Heckmondwike Grammar students with better timed departures on service 201 after school.

202/203 - Leeds – White Rose Shopping Centre – Dewsbury – Mirfield – Huddersfield

There are major changes to the timetable to improve punctuality. The service will still operate up to every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime, up to every 30 minutes Sunday daytime, and up to every hour each evening.

229 - Leeds – Gildersome – Birstall – Heckmondwike – Huddersfield

Most peak time journeys have been given a considerable amount of extra time in the timetable to make them more punctual due to congestion in Leeds city centre.

The service will still operate up to every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime, up to every 30 minutes Sunday daytime, and up to every hour each evening.

250 - Heckmondwike – Dewsbury Moor - Dewsbury

Metro provide a financial subsidy for us to run the evening service on this route, but unfortunately the cost of operating these evening trips is now too high, due to the rising cost of fuel, energy and wages.

The trips aren’t being heavily used by passengers, and so they no longer meet Metro’s criteria for funding support. This has meant that some evening trips will no longer run.

254/255 - Leeds – Drighlington – Gomersal – Cleckheaton – Brighouse/Halifax

Due to congestion, the timetable has been significantly altered to enable additional run time. The service will still operate up to every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime, up to every 30 minutes Sunday daytime, and up to every hour each evening.

There will also be a later bus though Scholes from Leeds, following feedback from the local community.

260 - Cleckheaton – Roberttown – Hartshead – Colne Bridge – Kirkheaton – Dalton – Huddersfield

There are changes to the timetable to improve punctuality.

261 - Cleckheaton – Heckmondwike – Roberttown – Mirfield – Kirkheaton – Dalton – Huddersfield

Some peak time journeys have been retimed following feedback from parents of Heckmondwike Grammar students. Due to worsening congestion, some journeys have been given more time to make them more punctual.

Metro provide a financial subsidy for us to extend some trips to/from Cleckheaton, but unfortunately the cost of operating these extensions is now too high, due to the rising cost of fuel, energy and wages.

The trips aren’t being heavily used by passengers, and so they no longer meet Metro’s criteria for funding support. This has meant that the service will no longer extend to Cleckheaton. Passengers can change buses at Heckmondwike Hub onto service 200 towards Liversedge and Cleckheaton.

268 - Bradford – Low Moor – Cleckheaton – Heckmondwike – Dewsbury – Wakefield

There are changes to the timetable to improve punctuality. The service will still operate up to every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime, up to every 30 minutes Sunday daytime, and up to every hour each evening.

271 - Cleckheaton – Gomersal – Heckmondwike – Carlinghow – Batley

Metro provide a financial subsidy for us to run the evening service on this route, but unfortunately the cost of operating these evening trips is now too high, due to the rising cost of fuel, energy and wages.

The trips aren’t being heavily used by passengers, and so they no longer meet Metro’s criteria for funding support. This has meant that some evening trips will no longer run.

280 - Dewsbury – Thornhill

There are changes to the timetable to improve punctuality. The service will still operate up to every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime, up to every 30 minutes Sunday daytime, and up to every hour each evening.

281 - Birstall Retail Park – Birstall – Batley – Dewsbury

There are changes to the timetable to improve punctuality. The service will still operate up to every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime and up to every hour Sunday daytime.

283/283A - Bradford – Tong Street – Birstall – Batley – Dewsbury

There are changes to the timetable to improve punctuality. The service will still operate up to every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime, up to every hour Sunday daytime, and up to every hour each evening.

377/378 - Huddersfield – Marsh – Oakes – Quarmby – Mount

There are changes to this timetable to improve punctuality. To improve timekeeping, in the Huddersfield direction, the trips will swap time slots, with both 377 and 378 running on the opposite half-hour compared to today.

408/409 - Pontefract – Darrington – Womersley / Thorpe Audlin – Wentbridge

Following customer requests, both services 408 and 409 will have a slightly different route through Wentbridge northbound, serving The Great North Road through Wentbridge village, before joining the A1M at the next junction.

Due to traffic congestion and poor parking, at school times these routes are no longer able to serve Crest Drive.

571 - Halifax – Southowram – Brighouse – Lightcliffe – Hipperholme – Shelf

There are changes to the timetable to improve punctuality. Due to poor car parking near to the Duke of York pub in Shelf, the service will no longer use Shelf Hall Lane.

Instead, buses will operate northbound along Spring Head, Witchfield Hill and Carr House Lane, before returning via Cooper Lane, Carr House Road, Witchfield Hill and Spring Head.