Are Wakefield bus services letting people down?

Bus services are "declining" in parts of the Wakefield district, it's been claimed.
A report earlier this year said that poor bus services were "holding young people back" in the jobs market in Wakefield.A report earlier this year said that poor bus services were "holding young people back" in the jobs market in Wakefield.
A report earlier this year said that poor bus services were "holding young people back" in the jobs market in Wakefield.

Councillor Maureen Cummings said that some people in the area were unable to use public transport because of a lack of infrastructure.

A report earlier this year found that young people in Wakefield were being "held back" in the jobs market because of the problem.

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It also said that a lack of late night buses was stopping pupils from taking part in after-school activities.

Coun Cummings made her comments in a Cabinet meeting, as she presented a report on charging points for electric vehicles.

A total of 13 charging stations will be installed across the district by March 2020 as part of a West Yorkshire-wide initiative.

Coun Cummings said that the move was necessary while the public was reliant on cars.

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She said: "We’ve got a declining bus service in parts of our district.

"It’s very reliable where I live, but when you get into the rural areas there are no buses.

"Until you have a proper bus service, people will get in their cars."

Council leader Peter Box agreed and said that some parts of the population were "missing out" on reliable services.

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He said: "If you’ve got jobs being created in one part of the district, like the centre of Wakefield, and you’ve got people in the south east who need a job, but they can’t get from the south east to the centre then it’s a real problem.

"If you meet young people, one of the biggest issues they have is transport.

"In some cases, they can’t get home at night."

It is not known yet where the charging points for the cars will be installed, though at least six of them will be created specifically for taxis.