DEVON County Council have confirmed that a bus route connecting Holsworthy with Tavistock and Launceston is set to end from the start of April.

The route was introduced in April 2023 using funding provided by the government and given to local authorities which had the aim of improving the availability of bus route connections between major conurbations in predominantly rural areas.

The funding was in place for three years in order to assess whether there was enough demand for it to continue.

Devon County Council has confirmed this has not occurred, and the route will be replaced from April 5.

It said that the extended section of the route remained ‘very low’ with some services carrying less passengers than would fit in a car. As a result, they said, it was not sustainable as a service.

The section between Holsworthy and Tavistock will be replaced by a new service 84 and operating to a revised timetable while service 85 will cover a route between Barnstaple and Holsworthy with some journeys extended to Bridgerule.

A spokesperson for Devon County Council said: “The extension of service 85 was introduced in April 2023 using Bus Service Improvement Plan funding to provide new links between Holsworthy, Launceston and Tavistock. This meant the service had almost three years to generate passenger growth.

“However despite this, usage on the extended section has remained very low with most journeys typically carrying only one or two passengers per trip. As the service is fully subsidised, this level of use is not sustainable.

“Following a review, from April 5, the section between Holsworthy and Tavistock will be replaced by new service 84, operated by Stagecoach to a revised timetable. Service 85 will continue to operate primarily between Barnstaple and Holsworthy, with some journeys continuing to Bridgerule.”