Yahoo News I used Huddersfield's most 'unreliable' bus stop - it was a grim day
Emley residents have claimed their local bus service is "the worst in Huddersfield" after a petition has been launched to establish a reliable service - so I went to see for myself.
Emley is currently served Arriva's 232 bus every hour which travels between Huddersfield and Wakefield. In the afternoon, residents have described the bus service as “sporadic”, with some claiming they have been left waiting for a bus for hours.
And those wishing to travel from Emley to neighbouring villages like Scissett and Skelmanthorpe have to take two buses - one to Waterloo, then a second to their chosen destination.
Accessing amenities like doctors' surgeries, pharmacies and leisure centres is said to be problematic for people living in Emley. As a result, a petition was launched by local resident, Nicola Higginbottom, earlier this year, she said: “As a resident of Emley, I recently experienced first hand the challenges of navigating our local area without the ability to drive.
“For a short period, I was unable to drive and found it difficult getting myself to work and my children to activities like gym sessions, swim lessons and sports clubs. My daughter has expressed an interest in finding work when she is 16, however, unless it's in Wakefield or Huddersfield her choices are limited due to unreliable transportation.
“This personal experience made me think about the broader implications for our community. Without reliable bus services linking Emley with neighbouring villages within HD8 such as Skelmanthorpe and Denby Dale, residents of all ages face difficulties accessing local services and amenities.
“This not only hampers employment and education opportunities but also isolates individuals and young families who rely on public transport.” Other residents described the current service as “shocking” and said that better access is “long overdue”. The petition has now reached 1,479 signatures, with all this in mind I decided to see how what it was really like for myself and so headed to Emley.
I arrived at the bus stop on Upper Lane at Emley Cross to catch the 232 to Wakefield, I opted to go for the afternoon so I could get a real sense of the residents complaints. I arrived at 2.15pm and was disappointed to find out that I had just missed a bus four minutes earlier, well, according to the schedule that is.
I was aware that the bus only comes to Emley once an hour so I expected to wait for the next one at presumably 3.15pm. However, it got to 3.30pm and the bus had still not arrived, looking at the time table things seem to be somewhat confusing and inconsistent.
The bus does not come on the hour every hour, the schedule is random and confusing, the bus is expected to arrive at 2.11pm then 3.14pm, then 3.31pm followed by 5.05pm and 6.05pm, so I can see why residents get frustrated.
I waited until 3.30pm but the 3.14pm had still not arrived, in total I waited for 1 hour and 15 minutes, at this point I decided to find an alternative method of transport as I wasn't able to wait any longer.
I'm not sure if the bus scheduled to arrive at 3.15pm did show up or whether it was running late but I can completely understand why local residents are frustrated with the service as if I had waited any longer I would have been late.
Yorkshire Live have contacted Arriva for comment.
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