Bus users who would benefit from an evening service between Ilkley and Skipton are being urged to support a bid for a slice of transport cash.

Ilkley parish councillor Kathy Best wants to hear from anybody who would use the route for employment or training purposes in order to apply for a grant from Yorkshire Forward.

The move follows complaints by an Ilkley business woman who was forced to drop out of a Craven College evening class because bus services stopped at 6.50pm. Janice Wright forfeited her fee and was forced to find an alternative course.

Following a meeting with Metro's West Yorkshire Rural Accessibility Partnership, Coun Best is preparing a bid and appealing for potential passengers to get in touch.

She said: "This is money to do with access for rural communities for training and for work. It would be an ideal opportunity but obviously we can't just fund something for one person.

"If we get a successful bus scheme for education and training, I think that would be a platform we would use to campaign for a full bus service."

Anyone who is interested in an evening bus service between Ilkley and Skipton is asked to e-mail Coun Best at kathybest@rocketmail.com.