An extended Cumbrian bus service has celebrated its 10,000th passenger on board.
Three months ago, Stagecoach extended the existing 600 service, which ran between Carlisle and Cockermouth, to continue to Whitehaven’s West Cumberland Hospital.
It was made possible by financial support from Cumberland Council through its Cumberland Go initiative.
The service, which runs every 30 minutes, reached its milestone last Friday.
The 10,000th passenger was Stephen Edwards, of Ravenglass. He said: “I can’t believe I’m the 10,000th passenger. I use the bus regularly to get to Cockermouth from Ravenglass, which involves a change at Whitehaven.
“I use the bus for things like going to the doctors and shopping. It’s great that the route has been extended between Whitehaven and Cockermouth.
“Buses are really important as they play an important role in connecting local communities across Cumbria.”
Mr Edwards was given three months of free travel on Stagecoach services and a £50 high street voucher. Plus there were goodie bags for all the other passengers on the bus.
Tom Waterhouse, managing director of Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire, said: “I’m delighted to hear that the extension to the 600 route between Cockermouth and Whitehaven is proving so popular amongst our customers.
“We are always looking to improve our services and we are confident that the extension to this route will benefit our customers and encourage more people to take the bus.”
