Bus passengers reacted angrily to plans to axe an evening bus service between Ilkley and Otley.

Users of the 963, which provides an hourly link from 7pm until 11pm, were shocked to learn the service could stop from January.

They have begun a campaign to get the decision reversed.

Sandy MacPherson, of Ben Rhydding, who has started a petition, said: “This bus is particularly important for pensioners for whom the train is less convenient and more expensive. A bus pass is a fat lot of good if there is no bus to catch.”

Metro said the service carried an average 36 people a night, meaning a subsidy of £4.67 for each passenger – beyond the level identified as value for money. Savings made from withdrawing it would be used to maintain a reduced 967 Otley-Leeds Bradford Airport service.

The 967 had been under threat after the airport said it would no longer support the route financially.