A move to consult passengers about improving a bus service has proved such a hit it could be extended to other routes.

The Travel Habits consultation of residents living on new Oakworth housing estates has been hailed a big success.

Keighley & District Travel, which launched the consultation, has now agreed to improve the 717 service from Keighley after hearing the public's comments.

The route is serviced by one of 12 state-of-the-art buses the company bought last year at a cost of £1.4 million. One key feature is their easy access low floors.

A company spokesman said: "We were very pleased with the response and this type of consultation could be tried in other areas of Keighley. The big issue for any bus company is to try and encourage people to use buses who have not been on them for years.

"We want to encourage people who are new to the area to try the service. It is a high quality service, the buses are extremely comfortable and very reliable."

He said a questionnaire had been sent out to people living on the Oaks estate, in Pasture Avenue and High Oak Garth off Providence Lane to establish if the service suited their needs.

K&DT managing director, Stuart Wilde, said: "Since we introduced the Star Bus concept to Oakworth, at least 260 new houses have been built in the village.

"Most residents commute daily to work beyond Keighley and I wanted to know whether our services met their requirements and those of the longer-established residents.

"I am very pleased by the overwhelmingly positive and constructive nature of the response. I thank everyone who has taken the time to fill out a questionnaire."

Eighteen per cent of residents who responded said they travelled to and from Oakworth by bus on the date they filled in the questionnaire. Another 26 per cent had used the buses during the previous week. Only nine per cent had never gone by bus since moving to Oakworth.

Mr Wilde said that as a result of requests the service would be extended from its present terminus at Windsor Road to the Oaks estate by the end of the summer.

The 717 service from Keighley runs every 15 minutes from the hour between Monday and Saturday until 6pm. On Sundays and after 6pm it runs every half-hour.

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