This weekend's snowy blast saw the number of Metro's Twitter followers pass the 5,000 mark.

"It was a busy weekend trying to keep up with the effects of the weather on transport as it swept across West Yorkshire, and report them through Twitter and Facebook as well as the Metro website," said Metro PR Manager Martin Driver. "As we were doing it, we saw a steady stream of new followers signing up, particularly for the @MetroTravelNews Twitter feed although the number of people who 'like' our West Yorkshire Metro Facebook page has also risen."

Using information provided by bus and rail operators, and the MetroLine call centre, Metro's Public Relations team provides travel updates from early morning to late evening. @MetroTravelNews has gained an additional 1,000 followers in less than two months, while the West Yorkshire Metro page on Facebook now has over 1,700 fans.

Comprehensive

"We would like to thank the bus and train operators and our colleagues in MetroLine for the regular updates they provided this weekend, which enabled us to provide as comprehensive a picture of possible of what was going on in a fast-changing situation," continued Driver.

"Since late 2009, we have been using Twitter and Facebook to provide updates about the transport network, alerting people to when there have been changes and disruptions and giving them links back to the website for more details.

"Using social media has allowed us to answer individual enquiries and enjoy the odd joke or two with people out there. The feedback has been very positive.

"Enhancing travel information is one of the six 'big ideas' contained in the current West Yorkshire Local Transport Plan and our use of Twitter and Facebook is achieving this."

Metro aims to provide as much information as possible online, particularly during periods of extreme weather, to reduce pressure on the MetroLine call centre so that people who do not have web access can get through.