A fleet of brand new buses is helping people with mobility problems get out and about in Huddersfield.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority has invested more than £750,000 in seven new AccessBuses for Kirklees and Calderdale.
The first of the newly-liveried single-deckers pulled into Huddersfield bus station – where Clr Eric Firth, deputy chairman of West Yorkshire Transport Committee, joined passengers on board.
The vehicles, which were built by bus manufacturing company Optare at its factory near Leeds, have two additional low-floor seats which can be used if there are no wheelchairs on board. The bus can carry 15 seated passengers or 12 seated passengers and two wheelchairs.
Four of the new buses are assigned to operate in Kirklees. The new buses are part of a fleet of 33 across West Yorkshire.
Clr Peter Box, chairman of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, said: “AccessBus provides an important lifeline for many people throughout West Yorkshire.
“Over 5,000 trips are made each month in Kirklees by 700 regular passengers and feedback from our passengers tells us that without AccessBus they wouldn’t enjoy the independence of travelling this valuable service provides.”
AccessBus provides door-to-door transport for people across West Yorkshire who have difficulty accessing conventional public transport. Destinations include local shops and health centres and all vehicles are low-entry, easy access minibuses fitted with the most up-to-date safety equipment.
People with limited mobility use AccessBus services to make 550,000 journeys each year.
Details of how to register for the Metro AccessBus service online, by phone or by post can be found on the Metro website at www.wymetro.com or by calling 0113 348 1903, Mondays to Fridays (excluding Bank Holidays) between 7.30am and 4pm.
A flat fare of £3 per journey applies but passengers holding English National Concessionary Travel Scheme passes travel free of charge.
