HOPES are high that the shuttle bus service launched as part of a drive to reduce congestion in Durham city centre will make its mark as the summer approaches.

The Cathedral Bus runs between the city's coach and car parks, and bus and railway stations, to the World Heritage sites on the peninsula.

It has come in for criticism as the 14-seater minibuses often 'travel light', either empty or with just a handful of passengers, particularly during winter months.

But Durham County Council transport chiefs are confident it will prove its worth as the tourist season takes hold and more visitors, and people who live in the city, become aware of the service.

A new flat rate 50p ticket offering unlimited daily use came into effect over Easter, with a 25p charge for pensioners and children.

The easy-access buses, running at 20-minute intervals, were introduced as a forerunner to the new £2 road toll charge which has dramatically reduced the volume of traffic entering the narrow city centre streets.

County council highway services manager, Roger Elphick, said the winter months were never going to prove busy for the service.

But he is confident that with the onset of the tourist season and the introduction of the new charges the council will see an increase in passenger numbers.

He said: "Having introduced the access charge to restrict the flow of traffic into the city centre, it was essential that we provided an alternative means of getting people onto the peninsula.

"The Cathedral Bus service provides a quick, convenient and much more environmentally-friendly alternative to accessing the historic heart of the city for shoppers, visitors and commuters.

"Running in conjunction with the access charging scheme, the intention is to make the city a safer and much more pleasant place to visit, and I'm confident it will prove very popular with the thousands of tourists who visit the city every year.

"At just 50p for unlimited all-day use, it's great value."

Mr Elphick said the service was not adding to the council tax burden for the Durham public, as the overall start-up costs of the congestion charge scheme were met by a Government grant, with any deficits on the shuttle service being covered by on-street parking charge income.