BUS services have long since been privatised in this country and are, like most things these days, run first and foremost as a commercial enterprise that has to make a profit.

But if we are to ever deliver anything like a decent public transport system here then that surely isn't where the story ends.

Buses, like trains, may be in private hands but their role is still to deliver a public service that can be a real lifeline to passengers who either have no other means of long distance travel or are simply not well enough to manage even

short distances on foot.

That means those companies operating them should think long and hard before they introduce any change - and especially one, like that just announced for Otley, which will impact particularly on the elderly and less able.

First Bus says its proposed changes to the 965 service, which would no longer stop in the grounds of Wharfedale Hospital during peak times - and so leave hospital-bound passengers facing a walk of some 200 yards - will improve reliability.

That is indeed an admirable goal. Nobody, after all, likes to be kept waiting at a bus stop any longer than they have to.

But vulnerable passengers, as Councillors John Eveleigh and Colin Campbell argue in our coverage of the issue this week, should not be made to pay the price for a bus company's efficiency problems.

And while a 200 yard walk may seem a minor inconvenience to those of us lucky enough to be hale and hearty, to anyone with a serious mobility problem it will represent a major obstacle, as well as an additional cause of stress when it comes to trying to access treatment.

First point out that an alternative service which serves the hospital will still be operating, which is true. But it is one that runs only once every 75 minutes, compared to the 965's current half hourly schedule.

The simple fact is that the proposed changes represent a major reduction in public transport links to Otley's hospital.

That would be worrying enough in itself, but the fact they were drawn up without any consultation with passengers is even more regrettable.

We can only hope that the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority takes note of the concerns raised and puts pressure on First to reconsider. With the changes due to start from this Sunday, they will have to act fast.