A YORK transport boss has defended the timing of a consultation announced on some city bus services which have been described as ‘shambolic’.

Key bus services that serve communities in York are being reviewed and consulted on by City of York Council – proposals for some services were announced on December 21, 2023, and the consultation ends on January 17.

The Press reported on January 2 about the December 21 proposals and specific services.

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The Liberal Democrat group said before Christmas it ‘made a plea for proposed changes to be informed by feedback from passenger groups and ward councillors’ and that ‘the proposals that were published are the result of a ‘behind closed doors’ exercise.’

Lib Dem group transport spokesperson councillor Stephen Fenton described the situation as ‘shambolic’ and called for more meaningful engagement.

The Labour administration reiterated its ambition to increase bus use by 50 per cent and said residents and councillors knew to expect this consultation.

Cllr Fenton said: “Whilst I welcome the fact that the council is, albeit belatedly, letting councillors and residents see what they have been doing with this bus service review, it’s ridiculous that this consultation has been announced with no prior warning.

“If you take out the Christmas and New Year period, this is in reality a two-week consultation.

“There are many residents who rely on these bus services who are not online and don’t use Facebook and other social media channels – will the Labour council be writing to them to let them know what’s proposed and how they can have their say?”

Cllr Pete Kilbane, the council's executive member for transport, said: “We’ve been clear for some months that the bus network review would get underway in December, so that residents and councillors knew to expect this consultation.

“It gives sufficient time for those who want to input to do so, which we’d really encourage before Executive reviews new network proposals in late January.

“We’re promoting the consultation widely through libraries, on buses and on real-time bus stop displays and through local broadcast, print and online news media.

“This review is about moving on from the month-to-month existence of some bus services by putting in place a sustainable network that largely operates commercially, with some support for services where needed.

“Excluding Park and Ride services, the number of local bus journeys taken in York under the Liberal Democrats dropped from 12 million in 2018 to 7.25 million last year, highlighting the challenge the city faces.

“Labour’s ambition is to increase bus use by 50 per cent by putting in place a network that stands the test of time and which is reliable for York residents, so that confidence in bus services improves and this huge decline in bus use is reversed.”