THE newly-appointed Transport Secretary faced a baptism of fire as he visited York today, amid uproar over the city's controversial new superbus.

It will be one of Douglas Alexander's first official engagements since Tony Blair's cabinet reshuffle last week.

During his visit he will take a look at the new ftr buses, two of which were taken off the road during their first day out on Monday because of electrical faults.

Peter Edwards, commercial director of First, which runs the new service, said: "We have had some technical difficulties. They are completely new vehicles and a completely new design, and it is only in operational service that it has become apparent that some things need adjusting."

He said customers and drivers were not yet familiar with the new payment arrangements.

"It's taking time to show people how to use the new ticketing system and it's probably going to take a couple of weeks to settle down.

"In the meantime, I am very sorry for those people who have been delayed by what is happening, but some people have been travelling for free, because what we've said to them is get on and sit down and we'll keep to the integrity of our timetable."

He said boarding delays caused by ticketing problems had led to buses sometimes arriving back-to-back, instead of ten minutes apart.

He said all the bus drivers had been trained, but were now learning to drive to their new schedules. One ftr bus caused traffic chaos when it got stuck in Heslington Road on Monday evening, despite the council putting parking restrictions in place along the road. Mr Edwards said a taxi driver had abandoned his car at the side of the road and not left enough room for the bus to pass.

He added: "The original plan was not to run the ftr down Heslington Road, but the council made arrangements and came up with a compromise. Even with a conventional bus, it is difficult."

The Press has been inundated with letters from readers complaining about the new service.

Mr Edwards said: "We accept that people's experiences have not been as good as we would have liked and for those people we are very sorry.

A City of York Council spokeswoman said they would be monitoring the situation closely.

Coun Tracey Simpson-Laing, shadow spokesperson for planning and transport, said: "It is a shame that the buses are obviously having problems.

PC Martin Hemenway, of York's traffic management team, said the police had not been made aware of any problems with congestion.

The new Transport Secretary has offered readers of The Press an opportunity to put questions about transport issues, locally and nationally, to him.

Readers should send their questions to stephen.carroll@ycp.co.uk

:: It nearly ran me over, says cyclist

A CYCLIST says he narrowly avoided being mown down by York's new superbus on its first day in action.

Steve Knight, 30, of Acomb, was cycling to the University of York, where he works as an IT manager, when he was nearly floored by an ftr.

He said: "It seems that despite the 'specially designed bus' the driver may not be able to properly see the traffic around them."

Steve was cycling along Fawcett Street, just about to turn into Kent Street, and went to pass the ftr, which had stopped at the bus stop. He said: "As I neared the front end of the bus, it just started pulling out with no regard to myself, and I had to take avoiding action to prevent it running me over.

"It seems that, because the bus is so long, the driver simply had not properly looked down the whole length of the bus, and had assumed it was clear because there were no cars.

Peter Edwards said the ftr did not present any more risk to cyclists than a conventional bus, but he warned cyclists to take care when approaching any kind of bus.

:: Your ftr grumbles

THE Press has been inundated with letters from readers

complaining about the new ftr service.

Their concerns have included:

Buses causing gridlocks in Heslington Road because of their size

Problems getting round chicanes

Ticket machines taking too long for people to use

Not enough people using them

Cost of tickets

A series of technical problems

Delays to timetable

:: Orders will banish parking

TRAFFIC orders which will stop motorists parking on the route of York's ftr "superbus" are expected to be rubber-stamped next week.

Members of City of York Council's ruling executive will consider a set of traffic regulation orders for Chaloners Road, Cornlands Road, Eason View and Tudor Road.

It's all part of a plan to make ftr a "red route" - prohibiting parking to give the £300,000 vehicle a clear run on the No 4 University of York to Acomb service. A report to the executive meeting on May 16, written by head of transport planning Julie Hurley and principal transport planner Matt Ward, reveals the measures will cost about £17,500.

That will pay for dropped vehicle crossings and lay-bys as well as providing some off-street parking for many residents on the affected streets. Peter Edwards has said his company would be keen to hear of any measures which would help ftr run unimpeded.

Updated: 08:59 Wednesday, May 10, 2006