THE Moorsbus hit the road again over the weekend with more frequent services and more connections every Saturday and Sunday until the end of September.

Most of the routes are the same as previous years due to the limited bus-suitable road network to link key destinations.

Two innovations are a new service from Stockton and Yarm, connecting at Stokesley, giving passengers a choice of routes to Helmsley – directly down Bilsdale and then to Sutton Bank, or the Northallerton, Thirsk, Coxwold, Ampleforth, long way round.

The second innovation is a new Sunday service from York to Helmsley which, after a trip to Sutton Bank, then heads to Hutton le Hole, Danby and Guisborough.

Once again, by timetabled connections, this opens up further opportunities for locals and visitors to reach new destinations.

Three bus operators have been contracted by the Moorsbus Community Interest Company to provide the wheelchair-friendly, low-emission vehicles.

Each bus has a seating capacity able to cope with the demands from groups of walkers and parties of locals wanting to get around the area.

Bill Breakell, from Moorsbus, said: “We’ve found that smaller vehicles are not the best option for rural services when demand can be volatile and weather-dependent.

“Passenger confidence can only be met by ensuring that there is enough seating for everyone who needs to make the journey home. It also makes sense to have more space when people are still concerned about Covid.

“And at times of pressure, our buses can provide standing room whereas a smaller vehicle is not permitted to carry any standees.”

Services start from towns and cities around the area, including York, Teesside and Northallerton, with Moorsbus providing the only public transport link to the three visitor centres in the North York Moors – Sutton Bank, Dalby Forest and the Moors Centre at Danby.

Timetables are being distributed to libraries and information points throughout the area, and are on the Moorsbus website www.moorsbus.org along with suggested Days Out.