A strategy has been adopted for community transport to help the more remote areas of North Yorkshire.

The county council has committed itself to providing greater access to rural outposts, often by using community mini-buses.

The authority believes that providing conventional local bus services is not always the right answer to the problem.

The executive member for environmental services, John Fort, said: "If we're serious about improving accessibility in our more rural areas, then the county council has to consider other alternatives.

"The adoption of a community transport strategy is the next step towards increasing the availability of more flexible demand responsive services, whether they are provided by community taxis or mini-buses."

The authority is now asking district councils, community transport providers, the health authority and others to adopt the strategy.