City of York Council's travel information line, Bus Info, has just celebrated its fifth birthday by coming top of the league in a national survey.

The 2003 Traveline Mystery Shopping Survey is conducted on an annual basis and reviews all traveline call centres in England, Scotland and Wales. The travel centres are assessed on a range of attributes including accuracy, speed, friendliness and professionalism. York achieved the highest overall score of 91 per cent - well above the national average of 83 per cent.

The service began operating in November 1998 and has been working from its dedicated office at 20 George Hudson Street since 2000. A team of five operators respond to customer queries about bus services and timetables across the city and further a field.

Fran Lambert, co-ordinator of the Bus Info team, City of York Council, said: "I am delighted with this. The team works very hard to provide the best possible service. This result is recognition of the hard work and dedication of the whole team."

The Bus Info telephone line operates Monday to Saturday from 8am to 8pm and Sunday from 8am to 2pm on (01904) 551400. Office opening hours are Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5pm. Timetable information is also available via the Internet on the journey planner at www.york.gov.uk/roads