West and North Yorkshire Metrocards!

Rueben_2

Hello all.

Next month, I am moving over to the Harrogate centre of my employer for my first managerial post. Really excited about the challenges ahead!

However, I was interested in some opinions of my situation and how to approach it travel-wise.

I currently commute Huddersfield to Leeds on both bus and train, and I use a West Yorkshire Metrocard Zones 1-5. It's £140 a month (covers ALL bus and train travel in West Yorkshire).

To travel to Harrogate I'd need to add Zone 6 onto this, and this would bump the price up to £162 a month. So far no problem, but this ticket, for some inexplicable reason, DOESN'T cover bus travel. At all (not even just West Yorkshire).

This leaves me in a pickle, as an additional MetroCard covering just bus travel would cost ~£80 a month, or sticking to my Metrocard Zones 1-5 and buying a Horsforth-Harrogate season ticket for a month as well costs even more!

Does anyone have any ideas? I'm seriously considering dusting off the bike. But all other bus journeys I used to take (not a car driver) to get around are pretty much off now.

Thanks in advance.

alanrowell

You are buying a zone 1-5 plus zone 6 Metrocard.

You can use a Zone 1-5 for all travel within West Yorkshire, the Zone 6 is specifically for the train from Harrogate to Hosforth.

So you can use the Metrocard for bus travel within West Yorkshire

http://www.wymetro.com/TicketsAndPasses/Metrorailcard/

redux

alanrowell wrote: »

You are buying a zone 1-5 plus zone 6 Metrocard.

You can use a Zone 1-5 for all travel within West Yorkshire, the Zone 6 is specifically for the train from Harrogate to Hosforth.

So you can use the Metrocard for bus travel within West Yorkshire

http://www.wymetro.com/TicketsAndPasses/Metrorailcard/

But it says on that page:

Unlike MetroCard, Zone 6 and Zone 7 tickets are not valid on any bus services in either North Yorkshire or West Yorkshire.

daveyjp

Metros website reads as if the 6 and 7 zones are for commuters who live in Harrogate or Skipton and travel to West Yorkshire, not those who do the reverse.

Zone 6 and Zone 7 rail tickets
For regular travel into and out of West Yorkshire from Harrogate (Zone 6) and Skipton (Zone 7).

Better to call the Metro office for advice.

redux

I looked at the area map and saw that it extended closer to Harrogate for bus routes

However it looks like the Harrogate to Harewood bus fare on the 36 route is over £6 return, and buses usually take rather longer than trains, so that's no help

wealdroam

redux wrote: »

But it says on that page:

Unlike MetroCard, Zone 6 and Zone 7 tickets are not valid on any bus services in either North Yorkshire or West Yorkshire.

In other words, the zone 6 ticket is only for the train, and the Metrocard is for buses in zones 1 - 5.

As the OP will have both, there is no problem.

I'm with Alan Rowell on this.

redux

The link on that page and elsewhere is titled Rail zones 1-5 plus 6

And on another page listing them all it is definitely titled rail only below the 4 bus and rail options

http://www.wymetro.com/TicketsAndPasses/MetroCards/

alanrowell

redux wrote: »

The link on that page and elsewhere is titled Rail zones 1-5 plus 6

And on another page listing them all it is definitely titled rail only below the 4 bus and rail options

http://www.wymetro.com/TicketsAndPasses/MetroCards/

For Zone 6-7 ONLY (ie North Yorkshire). For Zone 1-5 the Metrocard covers all transport within West Yorkshire

redux

alanrowell wrote: »

For Zone 6-7 ONLY (ie North Yorkshire). For Zone 1-5 the Metrocard covers all transport within West Yorkshire

This person hoped to buy one single card, not one of each

The zone 6 or 7 ones clearly say, as the OP suggested at the start:

"The tickets are valid on all direct train services between Harrogate (not via York) or Skipton to West Yorkshire and unlimited train travel within West Yorkshire."

... and below that is the comment about not being valid on the buses.

So, again as the OP suggested, it would appear that the choice is either get zones 1 - 5, plus a rail season ticket Harrogate - Horsforth, or get a zone 1 - 5 plus 6 rail card, plus a zone 1 - 5 bus only.

Unfortunately I don't think any of us has added anything useful that the person starting the thread did not already know.

Rueben_2

Hello all, thanks for the responses. I have unfortunately confirmed this with Metro staff at Huddersfield bus station, and the MetroCard covering zones 1-6 is for rail only. There doesn't seem to be anyway to "upgrade" it either. Guess the bike is coming out. :-(