EVERYONE recognises the virtues of public transport. Even die-hard Jeremy Clarksons can see that the more people there are on buses and trains, the fewer there are sitting in front of them in a traffic jam.

The cost of public transport is high. But the price for not funding it properly is higher still, both economically - traffic jams cost businesses millions of pounds - and environmentally. Cars cause both noise and air pollution, the latter blamed for an alarming rise in the number of children with asthma and other respiratory diseases.

So more use of public transport gives a better quality of life for us all. But the only way to encourage people to leave their cars at home is to invest in the alternatives. Drivers will become passengers when they believe that buses or trains are reliable, comfortable and affordable. Bus company First York has recognised this. The ambitious York Metro timetable is its answer to reliability problems. Now it is preparing to buy a new fleet of buses that will be more spacious, quieter, and easier to board.

Nearly 100 buses will set First York back by £11 million. It cannot recoup this investment by pushing up fares - that would only put passengers off. Instead, the company will be banking on more people taking the bus.

The company is right to make a bold choice about its future. If York is to continue to grow and prosper, decent public transport will become essential.

This is a small city that can barely cope with the traffic now on its roads. Solutions to road congestion are a priority for most residents.

The bicycle-based delivery firm Wheel Alternatives won an award this week for its jam-busting commitment. First York's expansion plans may be much larger in scale, but they are drawn up with the same aims in mind: to make a sustainable profit through sustainable transport. Now it is up to the council to ensure the new-look First York fits in to an integrated transport policy.

Updated: 10:45 Tuesday, March 27, 2001