Arriva's devastating proposals for our area

Labour MP for Wakefield & Rothwell, Simon Lightwood, has fiercely criticised Arriva Yorkshire for ‘devastating’ plans to scale back swathes of their bus services in West Yorkshire.

In a fresh blow for residents already frustrated with the operator, Arriva is said to be considering a significant reduction in bus services across the region but particularly in Wakefield. It is understood that Arriva have indicated they intend to reduce their overall driver requirement in West Yorkshire by approximately 80 drivers.

Arriva’s proposals could see the withdrawal of ‘core corridor’ evening services, ‘marginal’ bus routes that Arriva do not deem commercially viable and even school bus services. The proposals are the latest in a string of capacity reductions and service withdrawals that have beset the operator in recent years.

Arriva in West Yorkshire is already the worst performing bus operator in England, ranking 55 out of 55 on overall satisfaction in a 2023 survey by passenger watchdog Transport Focus.

The news follows Arriva’s recent decision to permanently close their Wakefield depot after discovering ‘serious structural problems’ at the half-century-old facility on Barnsley Road. When this closure was announced in early September, Arriva reassured the public that they would “work to minimise disruption to our services”, but this assurance now appears hollow.

As the Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin prepares to pursue ‘franchising’ of local bus services across West Yorkshire, Arriva’s latest announcement will add to a growing sense of a public transport crisis for passengers in Wakefield and Rothwell.

Commenting, Simon Lightwood MP said:

“These are devastating plans by Arriva in West Yorkshire which appears to lay bare the contempt they hold for my constituents.

“Arriva in West Yorkshire have completely lost the public’s trust to operate any decent standard of bus service.

“For decades, unaccountable private operators have wreaked havoc on my constituents’ lives. By hampering social mobility and economic growth, incompetence on this scale from Arriva has meant nothing short of paralysis for our community.

“Arriva have serious questions to answer regarding how they have reached this new low.

“My focus as Wakefield & Rothwell’s MP is now to work with West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Mayor Tracy Brabin to find a way forward that works for local residents.”