Here is the reply I received to my complaint

Dear Ms Dawes

We very much regret having to pass on to our customers the cost rises we
are now facing. However, the rises in fuel, utilities, insurance and
pensions are such that we cannot absorb them. The transport sector has
been badly affected by these rises and you will be aware of rises in train
fares and other bus companies both within First Group and outside of the
Group who all presumably are facing similar cost problems.

With regard to Service X84, our boundary for the Leeds off-peak ticket is
as far as possible to the Leeds Metropolitan boundary which obviously does
include Otley. However Ilkley is within Bradford and so inevitably will be
outside the Leeds ticket. Obviously there will always be issues around
boundaries and if we extended the boundary further then the off-peak ticket
would need to priced higher which would not be in the interest of the vast
majority of people using this particular ticket.

With regards to your comment regarding train fares, the simple difference
is that bus fares are charged at a commercial rate in most cases without
any subsidy whatsoever, where as train fares are very heavily subsidised.
In some cases the subsidy is 5 times the price to the passenger.

Yours sincerely




Mr R Harris
COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR