ANXIOUS bus passengers in South East Cornwall have been given a lifeline.

They feared they might be stranded from the end of this week as First Western National closes its Liskeard depot and axes its cover of all routes from there.

However, two companies have stepped in to take over vital routes linking Liskeard with Plymouth, and with its outlying areas.

Plymouth Citybus will, from Monday, take over the threatened bus link between Liskeard and Plymouth. They will run eight services per day instead of the previous ten, and their company's managing director, Jonathan Bayliss, has warned that in commercial terms the route, for which no subsidy has been given by Cornwall county council, is a knife-edge operation.

He said: 'We shall only be able to sustain services if people use them. If the number of passengers falls consistently below a critical level, this will become an unviable operation and Citybus would not be willing to run the service at a loss.'

Upton Cross based Caradon Riviera Tours are to take over a number of other routes, which have been subsidised by the county, trading as the Liskeard and district Omnibus Company.

Proprietor, Keith Deeble, said they will keep as closely as possible to First Western National's timetable, so as not to confuse customers. Their first Pensilva-Liskeard-Polperro services will run from Sunday, the routes they are to take over being Liskeard-St Cleer-Minions-Pensilva; Liskeard-Trago Mills-St Neot (which includes a Monday to Saturday Liskeard-Menheniot-Liskeard service (involving a daily one bus out and one bus back); and Liskeard-Looe-Polperro.

Mr Deeble said he found it ironic he had won the tender for the services running between Liskeard and St Cleer and Pensilva because he had operated them previously, and then been bought out l8 months ago by First Western National. He said as part of this service he aimed to re-instate the stop at Bay Tree Hill, Liskeard, because he knew it was a favourite for shoppers.

First Western National will continue to keep a toe-hold in the area as they will remain running the buses between Liskeard's Webbs Hotel and St Austell station, calling at the Taphouses and Lostwithiel.

Plymouth Citybus say this will be a new venture. Although it does run subsidised services outside Plymouth, its scheduled services are largely confined to the city. Service 77 and 78 will call at Menheniot, Tideford, Landrake and Saltash, some off-peak journeys taking in Doddy Cross and Bethany.