The City Fields area in Wakefield will be connected to Pinderfields Hospital, Eastmoor, and the city centre, offering numerous residents the option to use the bus for medical appointments, hospital visits, shopping, dining, and local commuting.
Our organisation has secured a minimum of £334,000 in funding, which has been allocated to establish and operate this new service over the next three years.
Cllr Matthew Morley, Cabinet Member for Planning and Highways at Wakefield Council, said: “We are really pleased to be able to offer this service, as it’ll help many residents, and it’s a much-needed addition to our district’s public transport network.
“The service will not only benefit people in City Fields but will give residents of Eastmoor a direct bus service to Pinderfields for the first time.
“This route also offers a convenient way for people to come into the city centre to enjoy the restaurants and shops.
“Having a regular bus service was always part of our vision for City Fields, as we want to give residents the option of using a more sustainable type of transport and to be less reliant on cars.”
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), responsible for regional public transport oversight, has collaborated with the Council to establish this service, which will be operated by Arriva.
Deputy Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee, Councillor Peter Carlill, shared his perspective; “It has been fantastic to work in partnership with Wakefield Council and Arriva Yorkshire to develop a new bus service in Wakefield.
“This new service will bring long-term benefits to the people of Wakefield – making it easier and quicker for them to travel around the city.
“It will help us in our ambition to create a brighter, stronger and better-connected West Yorkshire where people and businesses can thrive.”
Dwayne Wells, Head of Commercial at Arriva Bus Yorkshire, said: “We’re excited to be working with our partners to launch another new bus service! We’re proud operators of Wakefield’s bus network, and we’re looking forward to welcoming City Fields residents on board the new service.”
The bus service will run with a frequency of up to every half hour in both directions from Monday to Saturday and hourly during evenings and Sundays. This amounts to a combined frequency of up to four buses per hour heading into the city centre.
The timetable for the new 103 service will soon be accessible on the Metro website under Bus Timetables | Metro (wymetro.com).
The funding for this initiative has been sourced from housing developers through conditions attached to planning permissions. It is closely linked to the Wakefield Local Plan, which outlines the district’s planning direction. This financial support will sustain the bus service for its initial three years, aiding its establishment and fostering ongoing support beyond that period.
Over time, City Fields is expected to house as many as 20,000 residents.
Passengers utilising the service will benefit from the Mayor’s Fares initiative, ensuring a maximum fare of £2 per journey within West Yorkshire. Further details can be found at https://www.wymetro.com/mayorsfares.
A celebratory event organised by Arriva, marking the launch of the new service, is scheduled for Thursday, 31st August, from 11 am to 2 pm at the Miller Homes site “The Woods.” The site is situated at the intersection of Nellie Spindler Drive and Tree Top Drive. Festivities will include face painting, summer crafts, and an opportunity to preview one of the buses designated for the new route.
The complete address is: The Woods At City Fields, Nellie Spindler Drive, Wakefield, WF3 4LS.
