Sir, – After the changes to local bus timetables in April, I kept hearing comments from people who live in upper Wensleydale about their difficulties in travelling to Richmond.

This is an outcome of North Yorkshire County Council’s new policy of taking responsibility for getting passengers to the nearest market town for shops and services – but no further.

From Hawes, Askrigg and Aysgarth, for example, we have regular bus services to Leyburn but, for onward travel to Richmond – and therefore to Darlington and the East Coast main line (also to Ripon – and therefore Harrogate), convenient timetable connections have been abandoned.

It is inevitable that loss of significant bus connections will result in the "law of unintended consequences," undermining passenger numbers and various positive national and council strategies, including access to work, training, business, medical, social and leisure facilities. Richmond’s swimming pool and The Station cinema are among the losers too.

I use public transport on an almost daily basis and on Wednesday, November 26, I wanted to travel from Askrigg to Richmond – and experienced the difficulties. My destination was Aldbrough St John, for a North Yorkshire County Council meeting for Richmondshire District councillors at which bus services were an agenda item under the heading "Strengthening Communities".

It was an opportunity to voice concerns about the current poor connections between Leyburn/Richmond (and also Leyburn/Ripon) before even more changes are implemented next April, including greater reliance on "community" minibus services largely dependent on volunteer drivers.

From the bus timetables, I discovered that the journey from Askrigg to Aldbrough St John and return would take 11 hours! (For comparison, it’s about 45 minutes each way by car). I decided to tackle this arduous journey and make the most of the three minutes allotted to each member of the public to speak directly to councillors.

We have all grown up accustomed to three utilities (water, gas and electricity) which are considered essential for life and work in a modern society. In recent years, broadband has been added to this list and is now often referred to as the fourth utility. Perhaps it is now time to think of public transport as the fifth utility – essential for life and work in a modern society – and a service which anyone who is a motorist today may unexpectedly find they need tomorrow.

RUTH ANNISON (Mrs)

Askrigg, Leyburn.