More than 2,000 sign petition protesting late and unreliable buses in Calder Valley
It's amid concerns too many buses in the Todmorden and Calder Valley areas are simply not turning up or are terminating at Hebden Bridge and leaving people stranded.
Last updated 13th Aug 2025
More than 2,000 people have signed a petition protesting the state of bus services in the upper Calder Valley.
And although West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin’s bus franchising plans aim to improve situations like this eventually, there are still issues related to it which need ironing out, say councillors.
Todmorden councillor Tyler Hanley and Calderdale councillor Jonathan Timbers promoted the petition which highlighted concerns about the erosion of bus services.
At a meeting of rhe full Calderdale Council, Coun Timbers (Lab, Calder) said the situation was “disturbing” and not only in terms of the new timetables issued by operator First but other instances.
“It’s also that they don’t turn up, or they don’t go towards Todmorden from Halifax, they just stop at Hebden Bridge, stranding people who are trying to use the bus service through the valley and beyond,” he said.
Coun Timbers said there is another issue affecting the routes related to the upcoming franchising and that is whether or not these arrangements will apply to routes which go across boundaries.
These include services which go via Todmorden on to Rochdale and Burnley.
There was talk of permits for some routes rather than franchising but there was an uncertainty as to what this might mean, he said.
Coun Timbers urged senior councillors to raise the importance of this issue as part of a lot of work he said he knew they were undertaking and also ask for a briefing on permitting and franchising by West Yorkshire Combined Authority WYCA) transport officers for councillors.
This would enable issues like differences between permitting and franchising and the impact over control of routes, he said.
Responding, Cabinet member for Regeneration and Transport, Coun Sarah Courtney, said how a solution might be found to cross-border issues were still being worked on but she would happy to ask fro a wider briefing.
She said she has raised the issue of how it was going to work at WYCA’s transport committee with officers, other councillors and operator First and it was in progress.
“We’ve had assurances so far to say it should look fairly seamless with franchising services.
“It’s something I am very much asking about, it isn’t something I am prepared to let go.
“Because currently First Bus are letting the upper valley down in terms of the bus services and how people can use those services for health appointments, for work, for accessing education.
“It’s not an acceptable service,” said Coun Courtney (Lab, Calder).
An hourly service could not meaningfully be used by people to use for work, she said.