Bradford Interchange: Bus passengers complain about ‘Crystal Maze’ works.

Six months before the start of Bradford’s potential transformational year as UK City of Culture, work continues on the city centre’s transport infrastructure.

Some frustrated bus passengers have told the BBC they fear the current disruption risks the city taking a step backwards.

Michael Underwood relies on bus transportation. Despite the warm weather, the 79-year-old was already thinking about the impact of the Interchange closure in the coming months.

“What will happen when winter comes?” he asked.

“It’s chaos, total chaos,” added Mr Underwood, who was waiting for a bus to take him home to Holme Wood.

“There is no timetable, no indication if the bus has left or how long you have to wait for the next bus. The service is terrible.”

How does he feel about the disruption with Bradford 2025 fast approaching?

“City of Culture, it’s a joke.

“There is no City of Culture. Look around and see what has happened to Bradford city centre.

“It’s like The Crystal Maze, there are fences and barriers up and you don’t know where you’re going.”

Pensioner Angela Curtis is also a regular bus user. She was making the most of Sunday’s warm temperatures by taking the bus to Baildon to meet a friend for a walk when she spoke to the BBC.

Communication about the closure was “hopeless,” she said, while also expressing fears for the city’s reputation.

“I can’t think of another town or city that doesn’t have a bus stop. We need one.”

WYCA said it was considering alternative locations for a temporary bus terminus if the interchange could not be used for Bradford’s City of Culture year.

Asked what potential visitors might think, Mrs Curtis, who lives in Great Horton, said: “I think they’ll swear they’ll never come back.”

Mark Greenoff has to take two buses to get to work at Leeds Bradford Airport. He said the closure of the Interchange meant he could no longer make the last bus home, with a temporary stop too far away.

“People are getting quite annoyed that the West Yorkshire Combined Authority seems to be dragging its heels,” he said.

In a statement released on Friday, Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said it was “in everyone’s interest to get the results of the surveys the Combined Authority has commissioned as quickly as possible.

“We need clear answers about the future of the building.”

In the latest update, WYCA Mayor Tracy Brabin said she and others are “working hard to make the right decision on the future of the Interchange, keeping in mind the critical importance of public safety.”

“There are diversions here, there and everywhere and nobody knows where they’re going,” said Mr Greenoff, who was waiting for the bus to run when he spoke to the BBC.

“I would like a decision to be made sooner rather than later – rather than by the end of the year because it is the City of Culture for 2025.

“I don’t think this work will be finished until 2025.”

Ms Brabin said residents and businesses “have my word that we will continue to invest in Bradford to make this magnificent city a great success as we approach UK City of Culture 2025”.