A WELL-travelled bus route to Great Yarmouth seafront will be restored tomorrow.

A WELL-travelled bus route to Great Yarmouth seafront was due to be restored today, Saturday.

Hourly, from 10am, passengers will be able to hop on the new No 500 bus service operated by Swift Taxis and Private Hire.

Staff have distributed 400 leaflets to hotels and tourist attractions along the seafront advertising the new route, which will run hourly, seven days a week, and finishing at the Britannia Pier at 5.30pm, throughout the tourist season until September 4.

The service will share existing stops, but there will be no signs advertising the service, so passengers will have to look for a bus with “500 Seafront” on the front.

Mike Smith, managing director of Swifts, said there had been a lot of interest in the new service after First Bus cut its No 3 service so it terminated at Market Gates and did not continue to the seafront.

The No 3 had previously run from Hemsby, through Scratby and Caister and into Yarmouth over the summer, covering the full stretch of the seafront, but was cut due to a lack of passengers using the full route.

Last month, the Mercury reported widespread concern about a lack of transport provision for locals and tourists alike.

MP Brandon Lewis also contacted First about looking into altering the route rather than cutting it short.

Mr Smith said: “We have taken a chance really because we don’t know if we are going to make any money on it or not.

“But, because First weren’t interested, we thought it would be good for us, first and foremost to provide a service for the people, but also to give us some publicity.”

A 27-seater bus will initially run along the route, though this could increase to a 53-seater depending on demand.

Starting at Vauxhall Holiday Park, the bus will stop at: Market Gates, Leisureland, Hollywood Cinema, Seashore Camp, Boating Lake on North Drive, Waterways, Imperial Hotel, Britannia Pier, Marina Leisure Centre, Wellington Pier (east side), Pleasure Beach (east side), Nelson Monument, South Beach Parade, Pleasure Beach (west side), Wellington Pier (west side), Blackfriars Road, South Quay opposite Nelson Museum, The Conge, Railway station and Vauxhall Holiday Park.