A popular and vital bus service, which has carried 500,000 passengers since it started, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month.
The Metro Local ML2, which runs between Shaw Cross and Dewsbury Moor via Dewsbury town centre, has driven the equivalent of 200,000 miles since it began. That's the equivalent of driving round the world eight times.
The service, which provides a vital link for those who would otherwise have no public transport, is subsidised by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA).
Long-term regular Metro Local passenger Mavis Smith said: "This little bus is worth its weight in gold and I don't know what we would do without it."
Her husband Gerry added: "It’s excellent. We use it regularly and we can’t complain at all."
WYCA deputy chair and Dewsbury councillor Eric Firth said: "The ML2 Metro Local bus provides people in Dewsbury’s outer areas with vital access to the town centre’s shops and services and helps enable them to meet up with friends and family, which is why the combined authority provides financial supports for the service.
"The fact it covers parts of Dewsbury that are not served by normal bus services, is one of the reasons why it's so successful.
"Because most of the users are regulars who have got to know each other and the drivers over the years, travelling on the Metro Local can feel like a social club at times.
"My fellow councillors and I are pleased to be marking 10 years of this much-valued service and hope that Dewsbury people will continue to use it so we can celebrate another 10 years."
