The 41 bus service between Camborne and Falmouth is to be improved with the introduction of new buses and a name.

At least six new buses are to be introduced on the service, which is to be called the Wheal to Coast, as a result of a partnership between the county council, First Devon and Cornwall Ltd, and the Department of Transport (DfT).

The improved service has been partly paid for through the DfT's Kickstart programme, which offers grants to local authorities and bus operators to improve bus services in the hope that they will attract sufficient new passengers to become fully commercial at the end of the grant period of three years.

In total, 117 bids were received by the DfT for grants and Cornwall's entry was one of 43 that were accepted.

The grant is a total of £520,000 over three years, and both county council and First Devon and Cornwall Ltd are contributing match funding.

The Camborne - Redruth - Falmouth route is one of the key travel corridors in the county.

It was identified as a priority for improvements in order to offer improved travel to work opportunities, and to provide a real alternative to the private car.

Les Watson, county council passenger transport manager, said: "The money will be used to support the operation of the bus service for the three year period, but will also enable improvements to be made to passenger waiting areas and to improve information at bus stops along the route."

The improvements to the Wheal to Coast bus service include six new low-floor buses, fitted with CCTV for added security.

They will operate every 30 minutes, Mondays to Fridays. On Saturdays the buses will run hourly, and either hourly or two-hourly during the evenings and at weekends.

The 41 service has been extended to Troon, and between Troon and Camborne every other bus will operate via Mount Pleasant.

In Falmouth, the route has been changed to operate via the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, to provide a regular service to the southern end of the town centre, within a short distance of the Trago Mills store.

This will provide workers at the various companies based at Falmouth docks with a new bus service, which is timed for employees to arrive for the start of the morning shifts.