THE double decker buses that replaced York’s controversial ftr superbuses have been criticised by a former council leader.

Liberal Democrat Steve Galloway claims the new buses on the number 4 route bang against overhanging tree branches, frightening children and prompting fears that windows would shatter.

He also claims that as well as having no air conditioning, the double deckers often have inadequate space for wheelchairs and pushchairs, and advertising sometimes obscures windows so waiting passengers can only guess whether there are any empty seats.

Mr Galloway, who lost his seat at the last City of York Council elections, says reliability has suffered most.

“All too frequently these days, two number 4s will follow within a few yards of each other,” he said, writing on a website. “This effectively reduces what should be a 10- minute frequency service to a 20-minute one.”

He said that on a Thursday, buses were running in tandem all day, and only one ran from Foxwood to Acomb between 4.10pm and 5.25 pm, when there should have been seven. Then no fewer than three buses all turned up at once, a situation that was caught on video, which can be seen at youtu.be/-myCQ-BiOwQ

He claimed the problems were largely caused by the loss of the conductor, or ‘host,’ who used to take fares between ftr stops, and he called for conductors to be reintroduced in the short term to take “on board” ticket sales.

A First spokesman said it believed the modern double deck buses were suitable for customers on service 4. “I recognise that this has led to some changes for our customers and we are working toward a cashless payment system following the recent introduction of new ticketing machines,” he said.

He said he shared concerns over trees and confirmed the company was working with appropriate bodies to address the issue.

He also apologised for some recent delays, including last Thursday when customers were affected by a combination of heavier traffic than expected and road-works at Heslington Road.

“Although our punctuality performance is broadly the same as when we operated the ftr service, I accept that we can improve further and as a result we are introducing a new timetable on October 7 which will also increase the service frequency.”