MORE than 30,000 bus passengers have benefited from the vital A591 shuttle service between Keswick and Grasmere, operator Stagecoach has announced today.

The shuttle bus, which runs between Grasmere and Keswick every hour, using a temporary road created by Cumbria County Council, has provided a crucial link to and from the Central Lakes since its launch in February, following flood damage to the A591 in December 2015.

The passenger numbers announced today include both local people and tourists and represent unprecedented support from the local community to show that Cumbria is open for business in the run up to the first May Bank Holiday.

MORE TOP STORIES: The Stagecoach shuttle service offers a journey time of 45 minutes, cutting the existing journey time between the two locations by almost two hours.

Matthew Cranwell, Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire Managing Director said: “It’s great to know that so many people have benefited from this service and it is clear that it has helped keep many people connected over the past few months. The passenger numbers demonstrate the local community’s commitment to prove that Cumbria is in fact open for business.

‘We have worked hard to retain vital links to communities in the Lake District during a particularly difficult few months after the floods. We would like to thank all our passengers who continue to support this service and we look forward to reinstating a normal 555 service when the A591 reopens.”

The temporary service operates on an hourly basis from 7am until 7pm, with buses leaving Keswick at five minutes past the hour and leaving Grasmere at ten minutes to the hour, six days a week, and a two hourly service on a Sunday between 10am and 5pm.

Passengers using the shuttle service can make the most of their day out in the lakes by bus with reduced price travel. Anyone boarding this service can buy an explorer ticket for £5 and travel all day on any Stagecoach service across Cumbria and North Lancashire. The ticket is only available to passengers travelling on the shuttle service.

It was recently announced by Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin that the A591 will reopen to traffic a week earlier than planned on Friday May 13. Full details relating to the normal running of Service 555 will be available at stagecoachbus.com and on twitter @StagecoachCNL nearer the time.