Bus excursions lose their mystery

Mystery tour double-deckers travelled throughout East and North Yorkshire

Mystery bus tours in North and East Yorkshire have been axed after more than 40 years amid soaring fuel prices.

The weekly mystery trip this Sunday will be the last one run by Hull-based East Yorkshire Motor Services (EYMS).

EYMS group chairman and chief executive Peter Shipp said: "It is a great disappointment because they have been run for a great many years.

"The killer has been the fuel price increases. We can't just go on putting the price of these trips up."

He said the mystery tour clientele tended to be older people who could now take advantage of the new concessionary fare scheme under which people over 60 can travel free on local bus services.

Service 'dwindled'

"This is not a local bus, it is an excursion so they can't travel free on this one," said Mr Shipp.

"They can go to Scarborough, York and all sorts of places on a normal local bus so I can understand why they do not want to pay £5, £6 or £7 to go on a mystery trip."

In its heyday in the 1960s the company used to run 10 or 15 mystery tour buses every Sunday to destinations around East and North Yorkshire.

"But that has dwindled over the years," said bus driver Sam Mumby, who has been with EYMS for 30 years.

"Last year it was two and now we're struggling to fill one.

"There will be some upset faces when it finally ends on Sunday. Some of the regulars we carry don't get out much in the week and they look forward to meeting up with their friends on a Sunday."