The buses were introduced for the 2005 Tall Ships Race

Average boardings for the distinctive QuayLink buses, which link the riversides of Newcastle and Gateshead have now reached 13,000 people a week.

It cost �8m to set up the service and at first the yellow buses only attracted 11,000 passengers a week.

Transport operator, Nexus, said the service will now be extended to the Ouseburn area of Newcastle in 2007.

The service also makes it easier for visitors to get to local cultural attractions such as the Baltic exhibition centre and The Sage music venue. Councillor Mick Henry, Leader of Gateshead Council said: "We were always convinced of the logic of launching the QuayLink service - and these figures show we were right to be so.

"We expect demand for QuayLink to grow substantially in the years ahead."