AN EXTRA morning journey could be added to a York bus service linking Acomb with the city centre to appease unhappy residents.

City transport chiefs have agreed to explore with bus company First the possibility of adding an early journey to the Service 26 timetable.

The revised number 26 service was brought in last autumn when First axed the 16a service, which provided a link between Acomb and Monks Cross, because it struggled to keep to the timetable.

It was one of a number of unexpected changes - services 16, 16A, 25 and 26 were replaced by the revised 16, 25, and the new 17 - which caused upset among Acomb and Holgate bus users.

The new 17, along with the number 16, provide new links to Clifton Moor and offers a through service from parts of Acomb to Monks Cross.

The 26 is now the only service linking Beckfield Lane to the Piccadilly/Stonebow area.

But it offers less frequent journeys over a shorter period of the day on some sections of its new route than the 16/16A previously did.

Members of the city council's executive member for planning and transport and advisory panel agreed yesterday to explore the possibility of adding an extra early morning journey to service 26.

Any changes will have to be agreed by both the council and First before at least eight weeks notice is given.

They also decided that the acting director of environment and development services should continue to monitor passenger journeys on Service 17 to determine whether the route should be changed to run via Beckfield Lane instead of Boroughbridge Road.

Peter Edwards, First commercial director, said: "We are happy to consider this. In its current form, some residents expressed the view that the 26 service was good. but it didn't run early enough in the morning to meet their particular needs.

"This is something that's on the cards, and if brought in would appear sometime around September. We are listening to residents and this was something which was borne out of a ward committee meeting."

Updated: 10:58 Friday, June 03, 2005