A NIGHT bus to ferry revellers from York to Easingwold is to be cancelled after only six months.

Councillors have decided not to continue funding the minibus service which runs early on Sunday morning from the Eye of York to the Market Place in Easingwold.

The service, intended to transport young people from Easingwold back home after a night out in York, began last December.

Easingwold town councillors have now decided not to reapply for funding for the project from the Countryside Agency.

The Mayor of Easingwold, Coun Diane Gallon, said: "We are very sorry but we felt there was no way forward for the night bus service. It had very erratic use, with sometimes a dozen passengers, but then the next week not a soul.

"We really could not continue to pay for a bus to drive all the way to York and just return empty."

The council had hoped for consistent passenger use to allow another six months of funding.

"We did look at the project in the long term, we were really hoping we would prove a need for the service and that it would work," said Coun Gallon.

"We were hoping to give it long enough to build up a real customer base, real significant use, and then the operator may go it alone and run the service without our support.

"But given the numbers using the bus, we really could not justify it."

He said: "We had wanted to launch the service in the summer to give it a real go, but teething problems delayed it. We can never know now whether this would have seen greater numbers of people take up the service."

Coun Jennifer Clare said: "This project was my idea, I had thrown my weight behind it, and there appeared to be a lot of support and demand for the service.

"Now I am really sad it hasn't worked out. I can't really understand why, and until I saw the figures in writing I was going to appeal for another six months, but we just could not justify it."

Updated: 10:59 Saturday, May 17, 2003