Oldest working steam bus in the country goes up for sale on eBay

The vehicle, named Elizabeth the Steam Bus, offered visitors a unique glimpse of transport from a bygone era while reaching a top speed of 25mph.

Owners Viv and Vernon Smith announced to passengers that last summer would be their last on the roads - which sparked an online campaign to keep the Northern Star company alive but now the world-famous Charabanc has been put up for sale on the online auction site.

The bus had been doing the rounds of Whitby, for nine years carrying up to 50,000 passengers a year.

Making their sale announcement on Facebook, the owners questioned why support could not be given from the public purse.

It said: “We are a heritage attraction, but unlike most others we get nothing from the public purse, in spite of being labelled a national treasure.

“We have reached the stage where in spite of all the good you and other people do by taking a ride, the ever growing costs of keeping our old ladies going are getting beyond us.... “

However a spokeswoman for Scarborough Borough Council has said: “Like many others, we are very sad to hear of the decision taken by the owners of Elizabeth to stop operating in Whitby. As one of the town’s unique and much loved attractions we fully appreciate the strength of feelings expressed by her supporters.

“However, we strongly refute the claims that we are somehow to blame for the owner’s decision.

“Welcome to Yorkshire has worked closely with Elizabeth’s owners for a number of years to try and assist them, which included helping to fund Elizabeth’s participation in two Lord Mayor’s Parades in London.

She added: “In conclusion, we feel that the willingness of the council and Welcome to Yorkshire in recent years to support the steam bus has unfortunately not been met with realistic co-operation from its owners...”