A BUS company is to withdraw from a battle for passengers between Nottingham and Southwell.
Yourbus introduced the Y100 service on January 31 to compete with Nottingham City Transport's (NCT) existing Pathfinder 100.
But it will run for the last time on Saturday, April 16, after conceding defeat.
Stephen Bryce, Yourbus general manager, said the company had launched the service by offering passengers a �16 weekly ticket – �4 cheaper than the fare offered by NCT at the time.
"We felt there was a market for another bus operator because the fares NCT were charging were higher than the national average," he said.
"As soon as we launched the route they dropped their fares by 300 per cent. They dropped their tickets to �10 for a fortnight.
"It was impossible to compete.
"We were surprised really because they always said they didn't have money in the budget to improve it and it was a fringe service and then as soon as there was competition they dropped their fares dramatically."
Mr Bryce added that the Y100 also offered a slightly different service for customers because it extended from Southwell to Newark during the peak morning and afternoon times.
The main service being run by Yourbus in Nottingham is the Y36, which also competes with NCT, between the city and Chilwell.
The battle for passengers on this route has recently been stepped up by both companies.
From March 27, NCT improved the frequency on its Go2 Orange Line 36 service to every eight minutes.
On same date, Yourbus improved the frequency of its Sunday services to every ten minutes.
Both companies have also recently introduced temporary �1 offers for students travelling on the services.
And Yourbus has ordered nine new buses to bolster the route, which are due to be delivered in June.
Mr Bryce said Yourbus was coping with the increased competition.
"Because our customers are loyal to us it hasn't affected us at all," he said.
NCT declined to comment on Yourbus' decision to withdraw the Y100 and step up services on the Y36.
However, a spokeswoman said: "It's business as usual on our Pathfinder 100 service, which will continue to provide our customers in the Trentside villages and Southwell with the same high quality, friendly service they have enjoyed for over 20 years.
"Nottingham City Transport has a long term commitment to the city and we continue to identify opportunities for improving routes and frequencies to attract more people to switch from the car to bus.
"We made significant improvements in September last year when the frequency of 13 of our most popular routes increased and we will continue with further improvements throughout 2011".
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