INFLATION-BUSTING rail and bus fare increases brought disquiet in Wharfedale this week.

Train fares on the Wharfedale Line rose by more than the rate of inflation and the price of MetroCard bus and train season tickets also went up. And the cost of travelling on public transport will rise still further on Sunday when the biggest operator of buses in Wharfedale, First, puts up its bus fares.

Regulated rail fares on trains running from Guiseley and Menston stations have gone up by around five per cent, and the price rise is higher for those frequent passengers who buy weekly, monthly, quarterly or annual prepaid MetroCard tickets from West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, Metro.

The fare rises come as part of a nationally-regulated annual fares rise by train operating companies. Fares on train journeys outside the area have increased by as much as 7.3 per cent.

Metro says the increasing cost of its prepaid tickets is down to the train operators' fare increases, and it will also fund extra carriages on the Harrogate Line and Caldervale Line.

The bus fare rise by First, however, will also hit bus passengers and those rail commuters who catch bus links to their nearest station and do not use a MetroCard.

Otley town councillor, member of Transport 2000 West Yorkshire and regular bus passenger, Jonathan Kirkland, only learned of the bus fares rise yesterday .

He said: "It's a pity, we would also expect service quality to rise."

First says the rises are in response to increased costs. Most bus fares are rising by at least five per cent, although there is no change to some fares, and a standard £1.70 fare will be reduced to £1.50. First's pre-paid day, week, month and annual tickets will not change in price.

First in Leeds managing director, Steve Graham, said: "We want people to travel by bus, so having to increase fares is not a decision we take lightly. The last increase in adult fares was back in January 2006 but since then we have continued to face increases in the costs of running the business that are well above the rate of inflation."

Wharfedale Rail Users' Group (WRUG) secretary, Peter Johnson, said the group was willing to support the MetroCard rise to provide new carriages on West Yorkshire lines, although commuters liked to see evidence of extra services.

He said: "Any rail user expects fares to increase in line with inflation, but for regular travellers in this area, who use MetroCards, they will see a 6.5 per cent increase which is clearly not in line with inflation."