improved bus services have been announced by Harrogate and District Travel, which is increasing its passenger numbers year on year.

The company will improve links in Harrogate along with York, Wetherby, Ripon, Tadcaster and Knaresborough.

The improved services will meet growing demands from passengers and start on Sunday, October 21.

Current services through Wetherby from Harrogate will be replaced by three new services. The 770 will run every half hour from Harrogate via Wetherby to Leeds.

The 780 will run every hour from Knaresborough via Wetherby to Tadcaster.

And the 790 will run every two hours from Wetherby to York Piccadilly. All will operate Monday to Saturday.

On the Harrogate-Starbeck-Knaresborough route, larger buses will run to cope with demand.

"This service has become so popular we now need bigger buses which will provide about 20 per cent more seats," said operations director Dave Alexander.

Meanwhile, the 36 and 36A services will maintain their additional Sunday journeys between Ripon, Harrogate and Leeds with a 30-minute service.

And there will be a major improvement to the Harrogate, Rossett Green, Pannal Ash service operating via Green Lane, Rossett Green Lane and Pannal Ash Road.

All 106 buses will run via the Beckwith Knowle business park.

"We are responding to a request to service the business community by providing 40 journeys per working day to Beckwith Knowle, which is a 75 per cent increase," said Mr Alexander.

An information line has been set up on 01423 566061.

Earlier this year, the company announced that a service axed years ago between Harrogate and Skipton was resuming thanks to a £602,000 government grant.