SOME of the vehicles which could be used for a city centre shuttle bus service - including a 'microbus' - have gone on display outside a York hotel.

City of York Council is organising a drop-in event at the Hilton Hotel in Tower Street, just across the road from Clifford's Tower, about the proposals.

Three possible types of buses which couold be used were parked yesterday on the street outside the hotel: a microbus, a minibus and a small bus.

The Geco microbus is compact with a small turning circle, is only 1.2 metres wide compared to 1.8 metres for the averge car, and has an electric motor, a rear automatic ramp or manual side ramp and a capacity of four passengers plus one wheelchair.

The use of a microbus would need special permission from the Traffic Commissioners, as vehicles with fewer than nine passengers are not usually used as buses.

Inside the hotel, officers are on hand to talk through the bus shuttle service proposals, including the possible routes and the types of vehicles which could be used.

Display panels also explain some of the possible routes for a shuttle service, including:

*From Bootham car park to Coppergate, providing access to Coney Street, Lendal, Blake Street, Davygate, Parliament Street and High Ousegate. Issues to be addressed include a height restriction at Bootham Bar and a 'no right turn' restriction at the end of Lendal, which would need changing to permit buses to turn.

*From Nunnery Lane car park to York station and footstreets, providing access to High Ousegate, Coney Street, Lendal, Blake Street, Davygate and Parliament Street. Issues to be addressed include a height restriction at Nunnery Lane car park which may need to be removed, possible changes to the car park layout to allow buses to turn and a restriction in Museum Street which would need to change to allow buses to turn into Blake Street.

*From Monk Bar to footstreets, providing access to Goodramgate, Colliergate, High Ousegate, Coney Street, Lendal, Museum Street, Blake Street, Davygate and Parliament Street. Issues to be addressed include restrictions at the end of Lendal and on Museum Street which would need to be changed to permit buses to turn.

The council has been embroiled in a long-running row with disability campaigners over its decision to ban blue badge holders from the city’s footstreets.

The proposal to introduce a shuttle service was initially identified in the York City Centre Active Travel Access Study (October 2021).

The report outlined the impacts of removing the footstreets exemption that had allowed Blue Badge holders access to footstreets.

It also suggested the council should explore options for a city centre bus shuttle service, alongside the other measures such as benches, changes to pavement café licences etc which are being progressed already.

*The second day of the drop-in takes place at the hotel between 11am and 4pm today.