840 Coastliner: Yorkshire bus service between Leeds, York and Whitby named 'Britain's most scenic route' is under review and could be withdrawn

The 840, one of the two Coastliner routes from Leeds and York, could be cancelled as early as April following what are believed to be concerns over low passenger numbers in the winter months.

Transdev operate two Coastliner services, the 840 and 843, which diverge at Malton. The 843 continues to Scarborough and is not affected by the review, but the 840 takes a moorland route via Pickering, Flamingo Land theme park and the tourist villages of Thornton-le-Dale and Goathland before terminating in Whitby.

Its removal would mean visitors would be unable to reach Whitby from Leeds or York by public transport, as there is no rail link to either city, though it is believed the section of the route as far as Malton would still be served.

A source from within the bus industry claimed that the 840 would only continue if subsidised by the county council and that fares could increase by 12 per cent – neither of which were refuted by Transdev.

Transdev confirmed that the 840’s future is subject to review, and a decision will be made public in April.

Operations manager Kel Pizzuti said: "As with all bus operators across the country, we are responding to challenges including recovering customer numbers following the pandemic and the decline in government funding. In common with all businesses, we are also responding to rising operating costs, including fuel, wages, energy and engineering materials.

“We currently provide part of our 840 route between Malton and Whitby under contract to North Yorkshire County Council which will remain in place until April 2023.

“We are reviewing future arrangements for this section of the route with the county council, and in partnership with them, we will update customers once the review is complete.

“No other decisions have been made on the future of the route or its fares, and all journeys will operate as advertised as our joint review continues."

When rumours of the 840’s withdrawal were discussed on Facebook group Pickering Moan, many users of the service commented that its reliability had become poor and high fares made it cheaper to drive and park.

Lucy Wild said: “I’ve used it twice. First time it stopped at Malton due to lack of drivers. We swapped bus eventually and made it to York an hour later. I went from being 45 minutes early for an appointment to 15 minutes late.

“Second time the fare had increased to the point where it would have been cheaper and faster to drive and then pay for parking as a single person who drives a large 4wd vehicle. It doesn’t inspire me to use it I’ll be honest, but it needs to be available for those who have no choice.

“Removing the Coastliner would make my village and many others completely cut off from basic services (corner shop, medical care etc) if unable to drive.”