A NETWORK of Sunday and Bank Holiday bus services designed to help people get out and about this summer has been saved.

The DalesBus services had been under threat because of budgetary pressures, increased operating costs and new legal requirements which had seen some operators withdraw their involvement in providing services.

But a partnership headed by North Yorkshire County Council has allowed most services to be retained for 2008, and even some useful new links to be provided.

The services, which will run until September 7, are being funded by the county council in partnership with the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Metro, the National Trust, the Friends of the Settle Carlisle Line, and the Yorkshire Dales Public Transport Users Group.

The following services are among those being provided as part of the partnership this summer:

l Wensleydale Explorer Bus Service 807: Leyburn to Hawes and Ribblehead

l Wensleydale Explorer Bus Service 808: Ribblehead to Hawes, Aysgarth and Buckden

l Service 24: Harrogate to Pateley Bridge

l Services 25 and 26: Pateley Bridge to How Stean Gorge and Brimham Rocks

l Fountains Flyer Service 802: Leeds and Otley to Pateley Bridge, Fountains Abbey, Ripon, Leyburn and Richmond

l Ripon Roweller Service 139: Ripon - Fountains Abbey - Ripon

l Among the new facilities being provided are an earlier bus from Leyburn up Wensleydale to Hawes and Ribblehead, connections into Wensleydale from Ribblehead Station on the popular Leeds-Settle-Carlisle railway line and links to Brimham Rocks in Nidderdale.

County Coun Clare Wood, the county council’s executive member for environmental services, said she was delighted that services had been secured and additional funding been obtained as a result of the partnership.

“This is good example of the council and the voluntary sector working together and producing a positive outcome,” she said.

“There are a number of welcome improvements and I am particularly pleased that the council was able to provide some additional funding to retain services in Nidderdale.”

The services are being arranged by the Dales and Bowland Community Interest Company (D&BCIC) whose director, Colin Speakman, said: “We are enormously pleased that we have received such positive support from all our partners, especially North Yorkshire County Council. We must now prove that together we can deliver good value for money by ensuring weekend Dalesbus services to and within the Dales are well used, to provide real help for the local economy.”

Paul Chattwood, projects officer for Yorkshire Dales Public Transport Users Group, said, “We are very pleased that the majority of DalesBus Sunday buses will be running again in 2008, and thank the D&BCIC, NYCC and other partners for their efforts in achieving this.

“The services provide a sustainable way of visiting the Yorkshire Dales, and are sure to be popular with walkers and sightseers alike.