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Buses in the fast lane to the future
Written by yorkguides.co.uk   

Yorkshire Post Today

After Ministers kill off the Leeds Supertram, a glimmer of hope for frustrated commuters
William Green
Political Correspondent
WITH its sleek lines and futuristic name, the bus that looks a bit like a tram may now be the only way forward for fed-up Yorkshire commuters, after the Government yesterday finally killed off the Leeds Supertram.
The so-called "ftr" vehicle is set to begin running in York's streets early next year and may now come to Leeds after Transport Secretary Alistair Darling signalled such a system was preferable to a tram system.
Transport company First, which is behind the ftr, says the vehicle is more than just a bus and has the "wow" factor to persuade motorists out of their cars by combining the best of the tram and bus.
The ftr is built on a bus chassis, and the firm says it has a stylish tram look but at a fraction of the cost and features much higher levels of comfort than conventional buses.
It will also run on its own "track", a system of priority lanes with preferential traffic lights which will be central to its success in cutting through traffic jams. The local council would provide the dedicated road space.
The project's Rotherham-based director, Barbara Bedford, has previously told the Yorkshire Post that the vehicle is not simply a "fancy" bus but a real opportunity for public transport.
But critically for the Government, the bill for a ftr network is far less than that for a tram scheme.
Ms Bedford said: "The gap between bus and tram is too great at the moment. What we are saying is that this takes the best of both and has the wow factor of a tram but also moves us forward and is very exciting. The level of comfort we have been able to design into this vehicle is something again.
"It is going to be much more comfortable than a conventional bus. It really is a hybrid. It is not just a fancy articulated bus."
The cost of the vehicle is about a fifth of the price of a tram – about £1.7m. The price of laying track for light rail is just under £14m per kilometre (0.6miles), while the cost of installing a priority lane for a guided bus is about £160,000 per kilometre.
First spokesman Stuart Render said Transport Secretary Mr Darling made his interest clear when he launched the vehicle last March, and that an ftr system was one solution to congestion in city centres.
Mr Darling yesterday said rapid bus transit systems could carry a large number of people quickly, like trams, but deliver results at 50 per cent of the cost.
Speaking to the Yorkshire Post, he promised money would be available but gave no indication of how much because he did not yet know what the cost would be.
But experts are unsure about the benefits of choosing a bus-based system over a light rail scheme.
The executive director of environmental pressure group Transport 2000, Stephen Joseph, said: "Buses can do a lot but beyond a certain level, only light rail can give you the quality and capacity in transport that you need to keep cities moving."
And world-weary commuters, so often promised major improvements in public transport, will doubtless need a lot of convincing before the ftr service arrives.
 
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