LAST Sunday was the last day of the excellent Moorsbus service, possibly forever. What a crying shame it would be if this popular and reliable network were to disappear.

Whenever I have used the service, it has always been well used, especially with groups of walkers, who often create a friendly atmosphere for the journeys.

Buses come from Hull, Middlesborough and York, which then spend the rest of the day crossing the moors. Local businesses in the towns and villages will suffer, as well as the environment when people will have to use their cars, if they have one.

Whichever way you look at it, this drastic cut makes no sense. I hope everyone affected will tell their local councillor, MP, the leader of North Yorkshire County Council and Andy Wilson, chief executive of the Moors National Park Authority at Helmsley, how they feel about this issue.

I am sure Friends of Moorsbus would like to be copied in to any emails too (friendsofmoorsbus@outlook.com).

DalesBus is set up very differently to Moorsbus, and is even able to run two services from York during the winter months. One goes to Upper Nidderdale and the other to Malham via Otley, where you can change for another DalesBus to Bolton Abbey, Grassington and Buckden.

Despite a year-on-year increase in passengers, even the future of DalesBus is not secure in these austere times.

So, if you haven’t tried it yet, have a great day out at a reasonable price and enjoy the beauty of a crisp sunny day in the Dales without the hassle of driving.

Before it goes the same way as Moorsbus and only the lucky few will have access to our glorious Yorkshire countryside.

Paul Kirby, Wetherby.