North Yorkshire rural bus trial set to get £230,000 extension

The Yorbus service is being tested in Masham, Ripon and Bedale,

A rural transport scheme could be extended for another year, despite questions over its value for money.

The YorBus scheme in North Yorkshire is being tested in Masham, Ripon and Bedale, with plans to extend it across the county.

It allows users to book a journey via an app and then be picked up from a bus stop, rather than waiting for a scheduled service.

Councillors will be asked to approve a further £230,000 to continue the trial.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a county council report said "patronage of the YorBus service has been stronger than forecast".

Between July 2021 and May this year, YorBus carried more than 650 people on more than 10,000 journeys, the county council said.

Transport campaigners have criticised that passengers are unable to book journeys the day before.

The council reports says preventing customers from booking rides in advance offers the service maximum flexibility and also maximises the ability to meet passenger demand.

Mark Parry, chair of Action for Yorkshire Transport, said his group questioned whether the service was value for money.

He added: "Given the nature of the service, I just wonder what North Yorkshire is trying to do by not having advanced booking. If you are going to have demand-responsive transport I would certainly say you need some scope with advanced bookings."

Journeys are pre-booked by using a mobile phone app

There have also been calls to offer a door-to-door service for people with disabilities.

After initially only picking up passengers at recognised bus stops, some potential passengers complained that their village had no bus stop, so the council introduced "virtual bus stops", which campaigners say have not been advertised and are few and far between.

Nevertheless, the council has revealed no intention to offer limited mobility passengers a door-to-door service as part of the pilot extension, but said it would consider introducing limited pre-booking, extending operating hours, and seek funding to offer YorBus in other parts of the county.

A council spokesman said the pilot would "enable options for a wider roll-out to be explored in more detail".

The scheme will be discussed at a North Yorkshire County Council meeting on Friday.