Meeting to discuss future of Colne Valley Taxi Bus

Dec 1 2008 by Katie Campling, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Clr Turner has been working with local people for 12 months to try and secure a long-term future for the service.

The Taxi Bus – known as Service 907 – was set to be cut by transport authority Metro.

But Colne Valley people fought hard to save the service and collected an 865-signature petition in favour of keeping the bus.

It was given a reprieve in June this year when Kirklees Council paid £20,000 and Metro put in £8,500 to keep the service running for six months.

The council and Metro have been monitoring passenger numbers to determine whether the service has a future. They say it must carry more than six passengers per journey who could not otherwise make their trip on a normal bus route.

The taxi bus deviates from its route to pick up or drop off passengers.

At off-peak times it can be called by passengers to pick them up at a pre-arranged time.

It is used by children to get to and from Colne Valley schools and by elderly people who want to reach shopping areas or health services.