MORE and more people are taking to buses and leaving their cars at home saving 700,000 miles of moorland motoring.

Despite the overall reduction in visitors to the North York Moors as a result of foot-and-mouth disease last year, the Moorsbus service saw an increase in passengers carried.

New figures released this week show that the service in the national park saved more than 1.1m km (or 700,000 miles) of private car travel.

A study of passengers on the Moorsbus network showed that a third of visitors had chosen to leave their car behind and take to the bus.

Speaking at a national conference organised by the Government's Energy Efficiency Best Value programme, Bill Breakell, tourism and transport officer for the North York Moors National Park, said: "This is good news. Some of the problem of increasing car traffic have been removed, but at the same time access has been improved, especially for those without access to a car."

Reduction of car journeys is one of a number of Government targets, which the bus network is trying to help, along with crime reduction, a reduction in traffic accidents and improvements to air quality.

The savings in the North York Moors make a small contribution to lowering of emissions, which affect health and global warming.

"Placing an emphasis on public transport is part of the park's partnership with the community, who have said that traffic is the greatest threat to the special qualities of the area."

Other benefits from encouraging greater use of public transport are less obvious, but no less important," added Mr Breakell.

"For instance, cars parked in remote locations are vulnerable to theft and the more people we can encourage to either leave their car safely at home, or park in a secure car park, the better it is for everybody - except criminals," he said.

He said more people had probably used the bus last year because it underwent special disinfection during their journeys, was a safer way of visiting the countryside and had an "official" stamp of approval.

Coun Herbert Tindall, of Danby, vice-chairman of the park authority, welcomed the news.

"It is a sensible way forward and visitors get a different view of the moors when not driving as well as feeling safer. I hope the Moorsbus success continues and that the subsidised service will become self-financing in the future.

"My only slight concern is that we do not get too many bus services on the narrow roads."

Moorsbus services for this year will start at Easter and provide links from surrounding towns and cities in the region into the national park. It has been operating for the last 21 years, although the current service has only developed over the past ten.