From Keighley News, January 8th, 2018
Written by Miran Rahman
A CAMPAIGN to restore a direct bus connection between Keighley and Halifax now has backing from two MPs. Keighley MP John Grogan and Halifax MP Holly Lynch have joined forces to call for this link to be revived. Wife and husband couple Tricia and Hugh Lowth began the campaign back in early 2016 when they were living in Cross Roads. Since then the baton has been taken up by Worth Valley ward councillor Rebecca Poulsen and Oxenhope parish councillor Peter McManus.
Mr Grogan and Mrs Lynch have written a joint letter to Councillor Keith Wakefield, chairman of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee, asking him to make restoring the link a priority in 2018 should funds become available.
Mr Grogan this week said: "Local councillors and campaigners in the Worth Valley have fought a strong campaign to bring back a Keighley to Halifax bus since the last direct service was axed in 2015.
"There are bus services between every other set of neighbouring towns in West Yorkshire.
"The journey should only take around 40 minutes as opposed to the nearly two hours it takes now via Bradford or Hebden Bridge.
"In recent years Government cuts have led to the loss of a lot of bus routes in West Yorkshire, but I think the Keighley to Halifax route is a very special case.
"After all as a constituent reminded me at a Lees Methodist Church coffee morning last Saturday, until the mid 1950s you could get a direct train between the two towns before the Great Northern Railway line was closed."
As reported in the Keighley News last month, (Dec) no funding is being made available yet to restore the direct bus.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority said it had obtained quotes from bus operators to provide this service, but following its own budget review felt it would not be able to finance the route with public funds.
The authority added that it would continue discussions with bus operators to try to find a solution.