Odsal bus passengers are campaigning for improvements to a bus service to and from Bradford city centre.

More than 250 people living in the area are concerned that frequency of the 845 service has been cut from one every 30 minutes to one an hour.

The last bus leaves Bradford city centre at 10.10pm on weekdays.

The service was cut, after a review by bus operators Metro, to the fury of passengers.

But today the company said it would listen to the residents' concerns.

Spearheading the campaign for the reinstatement is resident Cath Jones, 29.

She said: "A lot of older people depend on the service. They can't walk far and need it to get to the shops and the medical centre.

"If they want to go to theatre in town, they can't do it because the bus has gone off before the show even finishes.

"Local people need this bus service to be more frequent than it now is. It is a lifeline for so many.

"One older woman had to wait an hour and a quarter in bad weather and it was still only early evening."

Odsal Centre manager Steve Bellaby, who will hand a petition to the bus operators, said the reduction of the bus service was a huge blow for residents.

"We are asking the bus operators to reinstate the former service which meets the needs of residents.

"Just from the response of the petition, we can see that many people are concerned about this issue and fighting for better journeys to and from town," he said.

Mr Bellaby added all three ward councillors Sue Tewdeney, Jim O'Neill and Dave Green are united in backing the campaign.

A Metro spokesman said further action would be taken when the petition was received.

She said: "We will listen to the concerns of the petitioners which will be debated at a meeting and it is here that any recommendations will be made."

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