A MULTI-million pound investment has been ploughed into new buses for West Yorkshire.

Bus 18 partners First West Yorkshire, Arriva and Transdev have announced their joint total investment for 2017 reached £23.5m.

The partnership was launched in March by the three bus companies, the Association of Bus Operators in West Yorkshire and the Combined Authority.

It has already seen improvements made to information displays, a new MCard android app and the approval of £1m worth of funding to work on schemes to ease congestion.

Investment has also been made in new, low-emission vehicles and they have launched a ‘no quibble’ free journey guarantee for any customer not happy with their bus journey, and a refund for a taxi journey home if the last bus that night fails to show within 20 minutes of the scheduled time.

Alex Hornby CEO for Transdev Blazefield, said: "Millions is being invested right now by local bus operators in the latest low-emission vehicles to make buses a better choice to travel in and around West Yorkshire, and on routes from outlying towns and cities too.

"Here at Transdev, we remain committed to invest in buses that people want to be seen on.

"All our fleet in Leeds has been renewed in the past two years, including new Euro VI buses for the 36, now running every 10 minutes between Harrogate and Leeds, which as well as featuring a top-spec customer environment, boast less harmful emissions than a brand-new diesel car."

Jonathan Woodhouse, Head of Operations for Arriva Yorkshire, said the firm was "delighted" to be involved in the partnership.

"Playing a vital role in transportation in West Yorkshire, we are committed to making buses easier to use and more environmentally friendly," he said.

"In 2017 over £7m has already been invested to achieve this with 37 new buses with Euro VI engines, and further investments will be made in 2018.”

While Paul Matthews, Managing Director at First Leeds, said: “As one of the major bus operators in Leeds, we understand the vital role we play in working with our Bus18 partners to find solutions to help reduce air pollution across West Yorkshire, which is why our investment in new low-emissions vehicles is a step in the right direction.

“Allied to our commitment to invest in 284 new vehicles in Leeds with the latest engine technologies by the end of 2020, we are delighted to announce that the first of these vehicles will be out on the roads before the end of this year.

"The new vehicles will be fitted with Euro VI engines, which demonstrate our commitment to helping to improve the air quality across the city, as these engines produce over 90 per cent less harmful pollutants than the vehicles they replace.”

Councillor Keith Wakefield, West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Chair, added: “Air quality in our towns and cities is a key issue for local Councils and the Combined Authority.

"Bus18 is where the Authorities and commercial bus operators work together to encourage people out of their cars onto cleaner buses.

"We will harness bus operators’ investment in new buses together with current government funding to improve emissions from older buses to increase the numbers of passengers travelling on a clean bus fleet.”

Last week it was also announced that Bus18 was working towards launching a discounted ‘go anywhere’ day ticket for young people, a key priority for the partnership.

Last week it was also announced that Bus18 was working towards launching a discounted ‘go anywhere’ day ticket for young people - a key priority for the partnership.

The work carried out under Bus18 has been described as "just the beginning", with the team’s aim being to "set the foundations for a brighter future for bus passengers across the county for years to come".