TRANSPORT bosses are talking to a bus company to see if extra seats can be provided at short notice after overcrowding left passengers sitting on the floor.
North Yorkshire County Council came under fire from Swaledale residents after a new contract changed the Number 30 service between the upper dale and Richmond from a 35-seater bus to a 16-seater minibus.
The last journey on Tuesday, the second day of the new contract, saw at least 20 people at the bus stop. One Reeth resident said it was only because the driver allowed people to sit in the aisle, contravening insurance and other regulations, that no-one was stranded.
A spokesman for the county council's integrated passenger transport unit said: "We reduced the capacity of the service to better reflect normal usage as part of contract renewal.
"The day after the problem occurred, we arranged some additional capacity and only five people travelled. We are discussing with our contractor how we can make more flexible arrangements for additional capacity to be provided at short notice."
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