A MUCH-needed, cross border bus service is set to return to the Ribble Valley and the Yorkshire Dales. 

The service 11 bus between Clitheroe and Horton in Ribblesdale, will be launched from April 8 this year.

It will see buses running from Clitheroe to Settle and Horton-in- Ribblesdale, taking in Bashall Eaves, Whitewell, Dunsop Bridge, Newton, Slaidburn and Tosside.

The service will run every two hours from Monday to Saturday during the daytime, with an extension to Bowland Academy on school days.

The move follows discussions with local residents, with Lancashire County Council joining forces with Ribble Valley Borough Council and North Yorkshire Council, which has commissioned the service from 21 Transport Ltd.

County Councillor Rupert Swarbrick, Lancashire County Council cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said: "We're very pleased that we have been able to join forces with North Yorkshire Council to launch this new cross boundary bus service.

"Having met with residents in the Hodder Valley, we think that this has the best chance to provide a vital and sustainable public transport solution for our residents, and it also gives visitors to the Ribble Valley access to some of the most beautiful countryside in the country, without the need to take the car.

"We're already working hard to make buses in Lancashire more frequent, reliable and affordable, with the recent £39m of funding we've received for our Bus Service Improvement Plan, and this means we can do even more to meet our aim of creating a network which more people will use for regular journeys, with more services throughout the day, as well as at evening and weekends."

For more detail about the route, visit https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/roads-parking-and-travel/public-transport/