An agreement sealing a partnership for better public transport in the Otley area will be just the ticket for bus passengers.

A quality partnership document involving Otley Town Council, West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority (WYPTA) and Metro has been signed, meaning a new programme of innovations and improvements for bus travel in the area.

The partnership is based on a cash commitment as well as goodwill and co-operation with the town council pledging £17,000 towards the schemes, which include:

New Sunday morning services for churchgoers.

A service for Whiteley Cross Garth.

A new link to Menston rail station to connect with local MetroTrain services and a day-time hourly service to West Busk Lane and improvements for Newall, Weston and Wharfedale Hospital.

A commitment for Closed Circuit Television and an electronic InfoPoint at Otley bus station.

Councillor John Eveleigh (Lab, Otley and Wharfedale), chairman of the town council Community Development Committee, said: "This is an extremely good deal and hopefully will start to benefit people as soon as we get these buses on stream."

Coun Eveleigh also paid tribute to the work involved in bringing the deal to fruition that was put in by the retiring leader of Otley Town Council, Councillor Sue Egan (Lab, Manor Ward).

Coun Egan added: "We have had discussions over the last three or four years and these discussions have become much more focused over the last 12 months.

"There has been a great deal of publicity given to the link with Menston Railway Station which I think is an important one, but I would like to emphasise that it isn't just to do with that.

"I think it is a really big step forward and I think it will be a much more sensitive and responsive way of dealing with local transport needs and I would hope the new council will continue to negotiate with Metro."

Councillor Mick Lyons, chairman of the WYPTA, said he felt it was important to ensure that areas such as Otley had a properly functioning system of bus transport.

Coun Lyons added: "What we are doing in actual fact is entering into a partnership with the town council and the people of Otley.

"I am not here with a bag of public money to give out to the public transport system. We are here to find out what people want and how far we can go to make sure that system is right."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.