A NEW operator is being sought by campaigners trying to save a ‘vital’ Eden bus service.

The 563 bus, which runs between Kirkby Stephen, Appleby and Penrith, is the only regular weekday - and Saturday - service which travels between those destinations.

Frank Allison, managing director of Grand Prix, which has run the service on a commercial basis since 2014, said the route does not make enough money for the Brough-based company to continue running it.

“It is a shame to see it go," said Mr Allison. "I was hoping there would be a smooth transition to another operator.”

The discontinuation date of the bus service has been extended to December 16 to minimise impact on schools.

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Running with a full loading on a weekday mornings, the bus carries a mixture of passengers including pupils and workers from Kirkby Stephen and Appleby to Penrith.

It is also widely used by the elderly for shopping trips or hospital appointments, as well as people who need to sign for their benefits.

Andy Connell, the former mayor of Appleby, who is one of the people campaigning for the bus service to be saved, said: “It is worrying for an awful lot of people with potentially five weeks to go until they cannot get to work, or the shops or to visit retirement homes. There is a network of issues to do with this, which are little understood by people who do not use this service.”

In a recent meeting, Eden District Council pledged to support the campaign to keep the bus service running, although it will not be providing any financial backing.

Independent Appleby councillor Karen Greenwood, who called for the council to back the campaign, said: “This bus service is a vital lifeline for people who use it. If we all work together we’ll be able to save the bus for the benefit of the entire district.

“We are searching for a commercial company to come and take it up. A lot has been done and there is a lot more to do.”

Cumbria County Council has confirmed that it will not be providing any funds for the service, due to having no resources to do so after central government removed all funding for public transport in 2014.