Late night buses

[jackh]

Does anybody know if there will be late night services this year in the run up to Christmas?

I always thought that it would be a good idea to provide late night departures on key routes charging a premium fare on top of the 921 and 928 services plus "into the night" 56 and 95.

[kendall17]

doesnt the 50a have a late nite weekend but? i think i can see them doing something that incorperates the a64 and harehills/gipton or maybe having to different services.

where do the 921/928 run?

[jackh]

No.

The 921 goes to Garforth and Kippax on a loop.
The 928 goes to Otley via Holt Park & Horsforth in one direction.

First also do a loop service from Evolution Night Club at Cardigan Fields to Town and then Headingley and back.

[kendall17]

ok, i thought it did

would be nice to have a late night bus but one that maybe incorporates the whole of east leeds i.e gipton and swarcliffe

[Craig]

The 921 then also serves Swillington last before returning to Leeds, though I've wondered before why it still runs in service back to town, does anyone board it in that direction?

Its also a shame they took off the 927, this always seemed reasonably well used and served areas that a taxi would cost an awful lot more money to reach.

I think 24-hour services would be useful in Leeds as long as they give them a long enough trial. I seem to recall the trial of services 2/12 several years ago was too short-lived to really establish itself.

[jackh]

Well it can be done in Brighton, so there could be a possibly. Obviously would require subsidy at first from Metro and LCC.

[Craig]

Now confirmed from Metro, the late night bus services will again operate in the run up to Christmas in Leeds. They will operate on Friday and Saturday nights from 30th Nov until 22nd Dec and also on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, with a flat fare of £2.

All buses depart from Leeds Rail Station interchange, routes are 2 to Roundhay, 12 to Middleton, 16 to Bramley, 50 to Seacroft and 51 to Morley.

[rossbailey]

Hi

The late night buses in Leeds start from this weekend as of Friday, November 9th. Not as previously mentioned on here November 30th.

Also there will be only 4 routes operating. 2, 12, 16 & 51. The 50's to seacroft are not on this year.

Timetables as follows.

Service 2 - Leeds Rail Station to Roundhay Park

Leeds Station Interchange 0030 0130 0230
St. Martin’s Road 0042 0142 0242
Moortown Corner 0050 0150 0250
Roundhay Park 0056 0156 0256

Service 12 - Leeds Rail Station to Middleton Thorpe Lane

Leeds Station Interchange 0030 0130 0230
Hunslet Centre 0045 0145 0245
Middleton, Thorpe Lane 0057 0157 0257

Service 16 - Leeds Rail Station to Bramley Shopping Centre

Leeds Station Interchange 0030 0130 0230
Albion Street 0036 0136 0236
Armley Shops 0051 0151 0251
Bramley Shopping Centre 0101 0201 0301

Service 51 - Leeds Rail Station to Morley Town Hall

Leeds Station Interchange 0030 0130 0230
Albion Street 0036 0136 0236
Drysalters 0051 0151 0251
Morley Town Hall 0100 0200 0300

Route 56 & Unilink 95's will operate as normal along with Nightrider services 921 and 928.

[Craig]

And this is one of the main problems... services like this only work with *lots of publicity*. Last week they had been scheduled to start 30th Nov, now Safer Leeds have obviously decided to bring that forward to start tonight. Great in theory, but how is anyone supposed to know that the services exist?

Other than a mention on Metro's and First's websites this week I've seen nothing about them - most potential bus passengers don't go visiting their local operators' websites on a regular basis! I really hope these are more successful than last years as personally I think regular night buses and 24-hour services would be valuable in Leeds - but only with publicity.

[Craig]

Has anyone noticed how much use these buses are getting this year so far?

[pub146g]

Sad to report but I caught the 00:30 Service 2 to Moortown Corner on Sat 17th Nov and I was the only passenger for the entire journey. Not only that but I also made a point of checking the 12, 16 & 51 and they all departed Leeds Rail Station empty.

Meanwhile the taxi rank had a queue a mile long and i'm sure a good few of those waiting would have been travelling in the direction of either of the 4 routes but it's a depressing fact of life that nowadays too many people just think taxi.

This really is a case of use it or lose it but my experience so far says that we'll lose it!

[westyorkshirebus]

Apparantly nobody used them last year either but the fact that they were running reduced crime, so Safer Leeds who are funding the services don't seem to care how many people actually use them

It does mean that there are unlikely to be any commercial overnight services anytime soon

[Craig]

The people in the taxi queue probably didn't know about them, thats the problem. Its not that they will only get into a taxi. Yes, the buses were (hopefully) correctly showing their destinations but I would think most non-enthusiasts wouldn't give a bus a second look unless they were specifically looking for a night bus they knew would be there.

Some of the services actually did very well nearer to Christmas last year, especially the 16 having looked at data on Metro's website. The 50 was the worst performer which explains it being dropped this time around.

As I've mentioned before the trial of commercial night services in Leeds several years ago was I think too short - admittedly it was only twice but I observed them to be quite full. I think because as 24-hour buses they weren't *just* there to ferry drunks home! They were there for night shift workers, running from and also *to* the city centre.

[markr]

The 95 is the only regular route with day and night operation where the night buses are commercial. (At least, I believe that to be the case) It isn't a 24 hour route of course - there's nothing between 3am and 7am (no students being up that late, or that early!)

[Craig]

The Headingley Lane/Otley Road corridor is *almost* a 24 hour operation (except on Sundays when there are no night buses), as the 95 finishes around 3 to 3.30am and then other routes start up around 5 to 5.30am. Just one extra bus slotted in at about 4am ish and they could (sort of) market it as a 24-hour service!!

[jackh]

Would make sense. As it won't cost First that much more money as they will have to keep someboday at Kirkstall Road between 3am and 5am anyway I'm sure.

[Craig]

Kirkstall Road must definitely stay open all night as the last 95 arrives in Leeds at 4.04am (so at the garage by 4.10) and the first buses will be going out at 4.30 to pick up services starting at 5am, also not to mention early staff buses whenever and wherever they may run.

[jabbott1987]

Why does anyone have to be at garage when there isn't any gates on, so they can just drive in and get in there own car and drive home.

[jackh]

Because keeping the 95 on later using none branded Olympians, they could be sent to Holt Park from Bodington Hall. Would mean a reduction in dead milage from Kirkstall to Holt Park.
The drivers who have done the nights can do one more running and go back into town and change over with the driver who drive that bus for the rest of the day!

[jml8371]

Just to correct a few comments on here:-

The 928 Service does not serve Horsforth. It serves Holt Park, Bramhope, Pool & Otley.

The 927 service was dropped due to very poor patronage since later pub hours started. We were getting on average 10->15 people per night on it.

Drivers wise, Kirkstall is a 24 hour operation but once we finish the 95's @ 0404 (0338 from Bodington), we then do the morning staff bus, so no more service work for me after then. The next bus through Headingley is the 0500 No1 starting @ Lawnswood school, so only 80 Min's to wait!

The reason that you get the unbranded Olympians on there @ night is that what we take out of the depot to run on there and not the "unilink" buses that the management want us to use. (The 2 early finishing duties on there do occasionally get them though as we take them on out on the road.)

I did the special service's on Friday & Saturday's last Xmas and they were a complete waste of time & money. Don't know why they have decided to do them again this year as when I have seen them they are running around almost empty like last year.

[Craig]

Do the 921 and 928 still pull in a lot of passengers then? I know the 95s always look reasonably well used when I've seen them.

I had in mind a bus running between the last 95 and first 1 journeys you detailed above so that the 24-hour service would be less than hourly at all times (except Sundays anyway!) - not that First will be desperate to introduce a commercial service at 4.20am from Lawnswood!

[jml8371]

I can't comment too much on the 921, but the 928 is very hit & miss. One week it's absolutaley heaving & the next week it's dead!!

The 95 at the end of the week are always busy & a lot of time there is a duplicate on as well to give a 15 min service on Fri & Sat nites. At the start of the week it's quite busy, but not needing the dupes. Once the students go, (as @ the end of this week) Friday's & Saturday's will be busy, but the rest of the week, we can get away with using single deckers!!

The trip's back from Bod to Leeds after approx 0100 are dead, it's rare that you pick up anyone on them, same as the early trip on the 1.