AN INVERCLYDE bus boss awarded an MBE for services to the industry has been forced off the road.

Peter Harte has sold the Midton and Trumpethill services he has run for 18 years to McGills.

All Harte staff have been offered employment with McGills.

This follows two years of intense competition on the routes.

'It has not been a battle of the buses but a battle of the bank books,' Mr Harte said.

'I would lose everything I have if I tried to go on. There was never enough revenue to support two companies on the same route.' The Harte Bus Company will now concentrate on a Braehead route it started a year ago.

Mr Harte, who received his MBE at Holyrood in June, said he felt let down by police and transport authorities.

Brother Robin said: 'The only people who have not let us down are our customers.' Two thousand letters were handed out to passengers yesterday, many of whom shook hands or hugged the brothers and drivers.

'This is a very sad and emotional day for us and our loyal customers,' Peter Harte said. 'The Harte Bus Company is like a family. Today I feel as if there has been a death in the family.' Pensioners" champion Nell McFadden, a regular passenger on the route, said: 'Everyone is devastated. We are very disappointed it has come to this.

'They did so much for the community and the community fought so hard for them, but at the end of the day it wasn"t enough.' Gourock councillor Jim Hunter, a committee member of Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive, said Peter Harte had run a great service for the people of Gourock and Inverclyde.

'Bus wars are happening throughout the country, not just Inverclyde,' he said. 'A monopoly is not good for anyone. I trust McGills will continue to provide a good service and we don"t lose any routes.' MP David Cairns raised Inverclyde"s "bus wars" with the Office of Fair Trading and Department of Industry in London. 'I hope this does not signal the end to competition in Inverclyde,' he said.

McGills operations manager Bert Hendry said it had been an 'amicable agreement'.

'Both parties are happy with the outcome and we wish Peter well with his new ventures,' he said.

Mr Hendry said they would 'broadly speaking' continue with the same services Harte ran to Midton and Trumpethill.