A NEW for bus forum for York wants people to "think big" about public transport for the city.

The York Bus Forum (YBF) has been set up to improve bus travel around York and to provide a voice for residents.

Its first meeting is planned for Monday, April 18, at York Railway Institute. The doors open at 5.30pm and it is open to all.

The group has already spoken of concerns about a consultation the city council is running on cuts to bus subsidies, which includes two drop-in sessions at the council's West Offices - the first on Friday and the second on Tuesday, April 26 from 3pm–7pm.

YBF spokesperson, John Bibby, said: "We as a group are concerned that two four-hour sessions held on weekdays may not provide the public with adequate opportunity to voice their concerns.

"We have established the YBF to give York’s bus users a permanent, loud, reasoned voice that will be listened to. It is a dream forum, where you can say what you really want, even if it’s not possible in the short term. We want people to think big."

Mr Bibby added: "We do not know the answer to the city’s problems with congestion, but we do know that public transport and buses will form a key part of the solution.

“The point of travel subsidies is not to benefit the bus companies, but to benefit the travelling public. So before we can express a reasoned opinion, we need to know how many bus-travellers have benefited from each subsidy.”