When it was announced earlier this year that a sightseeing bus would be touring the streets of Leeds city centre, it's true to say the news was met with a fair degree of cynicism from some Loiners.
The launch brought mixed reviews, some recommending it, some sceptical and some, including this blog - city showcase or on road to nowhere? - perhaps a little bemused.
Over on Twitter, the early days of the bus were met by regular fun contests run by the sceptical @bottegamilanese where tweeters had to guess how many people were on the bus when it passed La Bottega Milanese in The Calls.
Talks held to bring back service next year
However, this week tourism bosses have announced that they are currently in talks to bring back the service to Leeds next year and have hailed the ambitious venture a success.
Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire (WTY), said that the scheme had been a huge success since its May launch, and the bus and boat have together welcomed aboard more than 10,000 passengers so far. He said that talks were already under way to explore bringing the service back in 2011:
"Both services have been a real success and the fact that more than 10,000 people have jumped aboard both shows just that."We launched them to help promote the city as a tourist destination and encourage people to see more, stay longer and spend more money on things like retail, food and drink – supporting the local economy in the process.
"We know lots of people come to stay in the city during the week, but by offering more tourist services like the bus and boat we hope more people will stay longer and experience everything Leeds has to offer."
Passenger number breakdown
WTY yesterday broke down the approximate passenger numbers for the year so far - they stood at 6,590 people for the bus between May 22 and October 15 and 4,010 for the boat.
Some rough maths by Guardian Leeds based on those approximate figures showed that for the seven trips a day over its 147 days of operation, each sightseeing bus tour around the city centre attracted an average of 6.4 passengers.
The Guardian understands that the number of overall passengers and passengers per service is in line with both WTY's original forecasts and other similar sightseeing services in their first year. The bus and boat are seasonal services meaning passenger numbers tend to peak around weekends and during school holidays, and dip slightly earlier in the week and when the weather is wet.
In a press release yesterday, WTY said summer passenger figures were so strong it meant both services were extended beyond their planned September end date and were running until October 31.
Leeds residents will be able to mark the last weekend of the season and ride for free on both services on October 30 and 31. Bus operators will also be teaming up with the Royal Armouries to add a special Hallowe'en spookiness to the bus for selected departures during the weekend.
To take advantage of the free weekend, all people need to do is take something to prove they are a Leeds resident, like a Leeds Card, a bill or ID with their address. This can either be taken onboard the boat and bus or to the Leeds Visitor Centre near the train station until October 31 to get free tickets.
For more information on the sightseeing tours and to find out what's going on in Yorkshire visit www.yorkshire.com.
