87 year old Isabel Glover is going to give it a go after having to stop driving after sixty years "if it works" she says.

Ann and Steve Madsen are also keen to try it out after moving from Hull to Bedale and finding the bus service was 'poor'.

They were among many who turned out to discover more about the latest innovation to try and solve the issues of dreadful local transport that dominate in so many rural areas.

North Yorkshire County Council is launching a pilot scheme in the Ripon, Bedale and Masham areas, including the surrounding villages, to see if their new on demand bus service can work.

The idea is you can only book it on the day, it largely works like Uber through an App but there is also a phone line too. For £1.20 a trip or half price for children you can say where you want to go and when and the idea is it can take you from bus stop to bus stop.

Isabel from Bedale said: "I think it is going to be very very useful, if it works. I am going to give it a try, but I won’t use the App I will use the phone and talk to a human being. I think it will take off in the future with more and more people not using their cars. It will be handy to be able to get to Ripon."

Stephen and Ann Madsen, both 76 plan to support the new service.

Ann said: "I think it is an excellent idea, we are getting on a bit and quite honestly we would like to think there is a reasonable bus service. We will be pleased to be able to go to Ripon and back, it sounds worthwhile.

"We will use the App. But it will be like everything it is no good using it just once or twice it will be a case of using it or losing it. We like to go to Ripon and quite honestly with driving and parking it is a lot easier if someone else does it. It will be a good thing to help us come out of the pandemic."

Stephen added: "It is a very poor bus service at the current time. There is a service to Northallerton but otherwise it is limited.

"That was one of the things we came here for, we moved from Hull in 2014 and then the bus service looked good, but it changed. So this should be a real bonus."

Another resident said she was not convinced. "It does seem very limited because it only goes from bus stop to bus stop, I want to go to the arboretum at Thorp Perrow and there isn't a bus stop there.

"You also wonder if they are going to be able to keep it going and whether the App will work, but it is definitely worth a try because the bus services are really not good at the current time."

Roadshows are being run all around the area this week to try and spread the word about the new Yorbus, which could be extended if the pilot scheme goes well.

Staff said yesterday they had had a lot of enquiries during the roadshow in Bedale Market Place. "People have been really interested, we have had a good reaction, they want to find out how they can use the service themselves."

The new on the buses service is aimed particularly at older and younger people, and for visitors and tourists. Bus passes can be used on Yorbus which is due to start operating from July 1. For information www.northyorks.gov.uk/YorBus