"On Saturday the first arrival into Leeds on the X84 is now 7.55am compared with 6.44am previously. There are only three arrivals from Otley on Saturdays on the X84 into Leeds before 11am compared with 9 previously. There is a massive gap in departures on the route from Otley into Leeds on Saturdays between 8.15am and 9.50am."

Mr Grogan warned that there could be much worse to come. The Government announced on August 16th that they would be extending additional subsidies to West Yorkshire Combined Authority to fund bus services for the period October 1st to March 31st.

Mr Grogan added: "Shortly before the Government made their announcement First Bus registered with the Transport Commissioners their intention to cancel the X84 service to Ilkley all together. The starting point of the service into Leeds would instead be Otley. It was only after the extra money was made available that they withdrew their proposal.

"The problem is the money will run out next Spring and with Government expenditure cuts on the horizon the same ideas could be back on the table soon. In February 2020 the then Prime Minister Mr Johnson promised more buses for the nation including at weekends and evenings. Since then Ilkley has lost direct services to Harrogate and Leeds Bradford Airport with a diminished service to Skipton. I fear that the main X84 service from Ilkley into Otley and Leeds is far from safe."

A spokesperson for First Bus offered the following clarification: "Ilkley to Leeds pre-0900 there are 6 services. Otley arriving in Leeds on Saturday pre-11:00 is 4 services. (admit the 4th of these is 11:02). There had been 9 previously but this was done during the pandemic on some routes to keep Saturday same as Mon-Fri for simplicity but was always a temporary situation."