I’m writing this column heading out of Leeds embarking on a three-hour bus journey to Hawes on the Sunday route 875, operated by First Leeds on behalf of the splendid DalesBus. It is a long standing organisation run entirely by volunteers, who organise and secure funding for a brilliant network of routes connecting the Yorkshire Dales National Park with neighbouring towns and cities across Yorkshire and Lancashire.
Volunteers had posted a traditional timetable on the departure stand in Leeds city bus station. The departure was shown on Metro’s electronic screens and the bus arrived ten minutes before departure, so the sizeable queue of waiting passengers were all on board in good time. A DalesBus timetable booklet was placed on each pair of seats, with more available by the door. To cap it all, it was a clean and smart liveried double-decker bus offering absolutely stunning views of this glorious part of the country. No wonder it’s proving popular.
None of the foregoing is particularly difficult to get right, and it’s testimony to the hard working team at DalesBus that their tried and tested formula proves so successful. Quite frankly, they put the meagre efforts of many professional wellpaid manager…
