HARROGATE’S FLAGSHIP THE 36 TO RETURN TO A BUS EVERY 10 MINUTES

Six buses an hour to link spa town with Leeds following early finish to Harewood Bridge repairs

Good news for commuters, shoppers and leisure travellers on Harrogate’s flagship bus route – The 36 is going back to running every 10 minutes to and from Leeds!

The announcement from the spa town’s leading bus operator, The Harrogate Bus Company, follows the completion of essential repairs to the Grade II* listed Harewood Bridge which carries thousands of vehicles a day, including buses on The 36 route, across the River Wharfe.

Leeds City Council engineers have completed waterproofing, resurfacing and footpath repairs on the structure a week ahead of schedule. The bridge reopened to traffic from the afternoon of Friday, 18 August, with buses on The 36 returning to their regular route the same day.

Now, as part of a package of improvements to be introduced from Sunday, 3 September 2023, The Harrogate Bus Company is to return the 36 to a bus every 10 minutes between Harrogate and Leeds on Monday to Saturdays.

The Harrogate Bus Company General Manager Steve Ottley said: “The Harewood Bridge closure meant we had to follow a diversion between Harewood and Pannal, with extended journey times. To deliver the service within the resources available to us, we reduced the service to run up to four journeys an hour between Harrogate and Leeds.

“The repairs have now been completed, so we can return to running six buses an hour, with a service every 10 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytimes. As part of a series of improvements we’re making to our Harrogate network, we’re also making other detailed changes to the timetable in place before the bridge closure began in July.

“We’d like to thank our customers for their patience and continued support throughout the Harewood Bridge closure, and we look forward to returning to the frequent and reliable service which makes The 36 such a popular route.”

Other changes to The Harrogate Bus Company’s services from Sunday, 3 September, are:

• The 1: Harrogate – Knaresborough: In response to traffic congestion on the busy Knaresborough Road, changes will be made to improve reliability. The service will continue to run up to every 10 minutes on Monday to Saturday, as now
• The 2: Harrogate – Bilton: Minor changes to departure times from The Knox to Harrogate
• The 8: Harrogate – Knaresborough – Wetherby: New times for some afternoon journeys on Monday to Friday. No changes to Saturday times
• School Buses 620H, 720H, S2, S3, S6, S8 and S36: Timetable changes to help buses run reliably and in line with school start and finish times.

Full details of all the changes are available in new timetables online at: transdevbus.co.uk/harrogate, in print from the information kiosk at Harrogate Bus Station, and via the free to download ‘Transdev Go’ mobile app.