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From the online version of the Brighton Argus... this was first noted when the company placed a nondescript message on it's website last Friday. Think the Traffic Commissioner may also be interested in the lack of statutory 70 days notice too, but when the staff leave, there is little you can do. A picture of one of the vehicles in earlier times can be seen here.

Lemon buses squeezed off road

By Richard Gurner

Bus firm The Big Lemon has been forced off the road after costs spiralled out of control.

The eco-friendly company, which runs its vehicles on recycled cooking oil, has had to scrap its services after its city rival launched a price war by slashing fares.

The Big Lemon was founded as a community interest business to provide cheap and eco-friendly travel but low passenger numbers and competition from Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company has forced it off its route between Brighton and Falmer.

Boss Tom Druitt, a former care home manager, has refused to wind up the firm and is hoping to relaunch a service in a different part of the city next year.

Mr Druitt decided last week to pull buses off the number 42 route but planned to keep the service running until Christmas.

However, some of the company's drivers decided to quit after being given the news and the company was forced to stop all services on Friday.

Mr Druitt said: "The service was deemed not to be viable in the long term.

"We had to agree on a date when we would deregister the route.

"The problem was that when it became apparent to some of the team they were going to be made redundant because of the service not continuing they decided to pull out immediately.

"With the ones that were left it was impossible to run the service." The Big Lemon bus company was launched in September promising to source its recycled cooking oil fuel from ethical suppliers.

Last month the company announced it was having difficulty with passenger numbers and needed 20 per cent more to break even.

The company cut its timetable to resurrect its fortunes but had limited success.