I DON'T live in York any more, so have missed out on a huge amount of the uproar over the ftr buses, though have been told stories by family members.

Being back in York for Christmas, and New Year, I've found using these services is usually much easier than finding somewhere to park cheaply in town (ha!).

Imagine my joy when we got on one of the buses on Saturday, to be greeted by a bus conductor! What a brilliant idea!

Everyone got to their seats quickly, we weren't waiting at each stop for up to five minutes, and we all got into town (and to the Theatre Royal Panto) much more quickly than previous journeys.

That all changed the following day. We waited at Foxwood shops for over half an hour for a bus to turn up - watching three go by in the opposite direction.

It was incredibly frustrating, especially as we were due to meet people in town, and to get some last-minute Christmas shopping done. When the number 4 bus finally arrived, surprise surprise, no conductor. It felt like it took forever to get into town - and we had little or no time to shop before meeting up with family and friends.

Please ftr/First, keep conductors on buses! The amount of times I've lost 50p in those silly machines, as I've not had £2.50 (and they don't give change!).

Or why not adopt the Oyster Card System in London, where you are given a card you can add money to in many places (like local newsagents), and place it on a card reader on the bus, as you enter. It would cut back the queues, it'd definitely cut back on paper being used for tickets, and it's so convenient!

Jo Brooks Occasionally Foxwood, York.