FreeCityBus
Encyclopedia
FreeCityBus or FreeTownBus is a family of zero-fare bus services which are operated in the centres of several cities and towns in the English
county of West Yorkshire
. The services operate as FreeCityBus in the cities of Bradford
, and Wakefield
and as FreeTownBus in the towns of Huddersfield
and Dewsbury
. The service is run under contract to Metro Connect
. FreeCityBus had also operated in Leeds between 2006 and 2011 before being replaced by LeedsCityBus
in April 2011.
Since the first service began in 2006, over 11 million passengers have used the free bus services.
. Metro renamed the service LeedsCityBus and introduced a flat 50 pence fare for each journey, with the service running a six month trial period from 1 April 2011.
The current operator of this service is K-Line
, which is owned by Centrebus Holdings
with the bus station
, the university
and the shops and markets.
. In June 2008, a start date was finally announced with the first bus running on September 29 2008. Initially the scheme was run as a 6-month trial, but in April 2009 it was announced that the service would become permanent having attracted more than 4 times the expected number of passengers. Bradford Council and Metro are each providing 50% of the funding and have committed to the service until 2013. In November 2009, it was announced that the 1 millionth passenger had been carried on the Bradford service, and 1.5 million had been reached by June 2010.
There are 3 Optare Solo
buses which run the service Monday to Saturday. Each bus is sponsored; one by the University of Bradford
, one by Bradford College and one by Grand Central Railway; the latter was originally sponsored by Sovereign Healthcare at launch. The service is run by First West Yorkshire.
, with the main shopping area, the college and university and the National Media Museum.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
. The services operate as FreeCityBus in the cities of Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, and Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
and as FreeTownBus in the towns of Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
and Dewsbury
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
. The service is run under contract to Metro Connect
West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
The West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive is the Passenger Transport Executive for the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the executive arm of the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority and was originally formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport...
. FreeCityBus had also operated in Leeds between 2006 and 2011 before being replaced by LeedsCityBus
LeedsCityBus
LeedsCityBus is a bus service which is operated in the city centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The servicestarted in 2011, as a replacement for the Leeds FreeCityBus service, which runs in other towns and cities in West Yorkshire...
in April 2011.
Since the first service began in 2006, over 11 million passengers have used the free bus services.
Leeds
The Leeds service began on 30 January 2006 and was the first bus service in West Yorkshire to use this format and was operated by First West YorkshireFirst West Yorkshire
First West Yorkshire is the trading name of the four First bus companies serving the area of West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of FirstGroup, a company operating transport services across the British Isles and in North America...
. Metro renamed the service LeedsCityBus and introduced a flat 50 pence fare for each journey, with the service running a six month trial period from 1 April 2011.
Huddersfield
This service began on 30 October 2006, after the success of the Leeds service earlier that year. In under six months the Huddersfield FreeTownBus had carried over 100,000 passengers. This service was originally introduced on the basis of a nine month trial with two buses. The contract was later extended until 2011 depending on funding. A Boxing Day service was introduced in 2007, following funding from Metro, although this has since been dropped after one year.The current operator of this service is K-Line
Teamdeck
Teamdeck is a bus operator based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. As of May 2008 it is owned by Centrebus Holdings, a partnership between Centrebus of Leicester and Arriva, but continues to trade under the K-Line identity.They operate a number of public bus services in the Kirklees area...
, which is owned by Centrebus Holdings
Centrebus Holdings
Centrebus Holdings is a bus company in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. It is a partnership between Arriva and Centrebus, created in May 2008 to purchase both K-Line Travel and Stagecoach Yorkshire's Huddersfield operations.-Stagecoach:...
Route
Unlike the Leeds and Wakefield services, the service makes a complete circle without backtracking, and runs in an anti-clockwise direction. the Huddersfield FreeTownBus links the town's train stationHuddersfield railway station
Huddersfield railway station serves the town of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England.The station is managed by First TransPennine Express who provide trains between the North East, North and East Yorkshire, and Leeds to the east and Manchester Piccadilly and North West.It is also served by local...
with the bus station
Huddersfield bus station
Huddersfield bus station serves the town of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.The bus station was opened on Sunday 1 December 1974 and is owned and managed by the Metro . The bus station is situated in Huddersfield town centre, underneath the Multi-storey car park...
, the university
University of Huddersfield
The University of Huddersfield is a university located in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.- History :The University traces its roots back to a Science and Mechanic Institute founded in 1825...
and the shops and markets.
| FreeTownBus Huddersfield |
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Wakefield
The Wakefield service was announced early 2007 to begin at the end of April, and began at the planned time, the first run being around 7:30am on Monday 23 April 2007. Four hundred and fifty passengers used the service on its first running day. The service runs on a fleet of two buses. Star Travel is the current operator of the service.Route
The service is the first bus to connect both train stations, also the first to connect The Ridings, Market and main shopping area to the retail parks.| FreeCityBus Wakefield |
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Bradford
Proposals for a service in Bradford were first drawn up in 2007 after the successes elsewhere in West Yorkshire but the a decision on the scheme was put on hold until December 2007 and then February 2008 by Bradford CouncilCity of Bradford
The City of Bradford is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Bradford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Keighley, Shipley, Bingley, Ilkley, Haworth, Silsden and...
. In June 2008, a start date was finally announced with the first bus running on September 29 2008. Initially the scheme was run as a 6-month trial, but in April 2009 it was announced that the service would become permanent having attracted more than 4 times the expected number of passengers. Bradford Council and Metro are each providing 50% of the funding and have committed to the service until 2013. In November 2009, it was announced that the 1 millionth passenger had been carried on the Bradford service, and 1.5 million had been reached by June 2010.
There are 3 Optare Solo
Optare Solo
The Optare Solo is a low-floor midibus manufactured by Optare in Leeds, UK since 1997. The name "Solo" is a play on the low-floor status of the bus, the manufacturer believing its vehicle having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm with kneeling suspension.The innovative...
buses which run the service Monday to Saturday. Each bus is sponsored; one by the University of Bradford
University of Bradford
The University of Bradford is a British university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The University received its Royal Charter in 1966, making it the 40th University to be created in Britain, but its origins date back to the early 1800s...
, one by Bradford College and one by Grand Central Railway; the latter was originally sponsored by Sovereign Healthcare at launch. The service is run by First West Yorkshire.
Route
The service runs every 10 minutes and connects Bradford's two railway stations, (Bradford Interchange and Forster SquareBradford Forster Square railway station
Bradford Forster Square station is a railway station in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The majority of services to/from the station use Class 333 electrified trains operated by Northern Rail, on the Airedale Line to Skipton, the Wharfedale Line to Ilkley and the Leeds-Bradford Line to Leeds.The...
, with the main shopping area, the college and university and the National Media Museum.
| FreeCityBus Bradford |
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Dewsbury
The FreeTownBus started operating in Dewsbury on 12 December 2009. It is being funded by Metro, Kirklees Council and Sainsbury's supermarket, and uses two buses, which are operated by Star Travel.Route
The service runs every 10 minutes and calls at the railway station and major shopping areas.| FreeTownBus Dewsbury |
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See also
- West Yorkshire Passenger Transport ExecutiveWest Yorkshire Passenger Transport ExecutiveThe West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive is the Passenger Transport Executive for the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the executive arm of the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority and was originally formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport...
- LeedsCityBusLeedsCityBusLeedsCityBus is a bus service which is operated in the city centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The servicestarted in 2011, as a replacement for the Leeds FreeCityBus service, which runs in other towns and cities in West Yorkshire...
- WakefieldWakefieldWakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
- HuddersfieldHuddersfieldHuddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
- BradfordBradfordBradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
- DewsburyDewsburyDewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
- Free public transport
- List of bus operators of the United Kingdom