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Metro's Tendered Services Working Group has been told the Cross Gates to St James's Hospital section of the current off-peak 78 service, originally funded on a 'use it or lose it' basis by the Working Group in 2007, had exceeded expectations.

A revised service, numbered 63, will now run from Cross Gates to St James's Hospital via Templegates, Halton Moor, Osmondthorpe, Cross Green and Leeds city centre.

As well as the present off-peak service there will be peak-time journeys from Osmondthorpe to the hospital, and the service will also run on Saturdays.

Links between Woodhouse and the city centre will largely be maintained by Unilink service 92, which First will run on a trial basis during the universities' summer holidays.

Coun Colin Campbell, Metro's district spokesman for Leeds said: "This is a good example of how Metro has been able to stimulate growth in bus usage. We asked people to 'use it or lose it', and passengers have heeded the call, as shown by the increasing number of passengers over the last two years."

The new service will start from Monday, April 26, and timetabless will be available in April to download from Metro's web site at www.wymetro.com.