AN appeal led by volunteers of Tavistock Country Bus has achieved positive results with more seats on the bus becoming filled.

Following an article in the Times calling for more people to use the bus service Derek De Glanville, chairman elect, has said he has noticed an increase in the number of passengers on many routes.

Formed in 1981 and having recently celebrated its 30th birthday, Tavistock Country Bus provides transport links for the community to various destinations around Devon and Cornwall.

The bus enables elderly people and other members of the public, who are unable to get around, to do their shopping. The bus travels to Launceston, Trago Mills, Exeter, Plymouth and also visits Torquay and Dawlish on a Saturday during the summer months.

Tavistock Country Bus saw a decrease in its number of passengers this year and as a result of restrictions on funding, the less populated trips were in danger of being withdrawn.

However, Derek De Glanville said that the article published in the Times had helped in raising awareness of the organisation and its services.

He said: ‘There has been an improvement and numbers are up, although there are a few exceptions – the Plymouth trips still see very few passengers.

‘We are not in immediate threat but we rarely manage to carry on routes if they are not used and instead a different route will be installed somewhere else. People often say they want a route but when it’s installed they don’t use it.

‘Quite a few people talked about our previous piece in the paper and said they didn’t realise that was the situation before and will use the service to stop it from being cut.’

He added: ‘We buy a new bus every four to five years but there are always people who don’t like certain things about buses. The good thing about ours is that it does fit a wheelchair. I haven’t heard many people complain about it.

‘I want to say thank you to all the loyal passengers, especially the ones who come in from the village on the bus and who have a good shop and a lunch. There are about twelve of them and I am very grateful to them.

‘If anyone is thinking about volunteering we always need more people to help.’

Visit the website www.tavistockcountrybus.co.uk for more information.