The holiday coastal bus service which operated for the first time in Looe this summer has been deemed a success.
Caradon council's tourism manager, Kaja Curry, has said that during the period between July and September a total of 746 coastal bus tickets were sold - mainly to holidaymakers. Enquiries also revealed that 63 per cent of the passengers were car owners, and she said this represented a reduction in car mileage of nearly 6,000 Kms.
The scheme received such support it is to be repeated for the year 2000 - and Kaja added that the pilot initiative has been studied by other authorities and has been commended. Councillors agreed that Caradon could provide £3,000 for the scheme next year, and the prospect of the bus routes being extended right through to the Rame Peninsula will be followed up. This was at the request of ward member Ivor Nichols who said the economy of his parish, as well as Millbrook, could benefit from the tourism service.
The Caradon meeting also noted that Looe's Discovery Centre had reported a good season between April to October, with just a small reduction of visitors due to awful weather in mid summer. Retail sales were slightly up at £21,000.