TOURISTS are turning their backs on traditional open top bus tours have forced the scrapping of the service in one of Scotland's most historic towns.

St Andrews the home of golf, the Royal and Ancient, The Old Course, the third oldest university in the English-speaking world, the A-listed Holy Trinity Church where John Knox first preached in public, and a famous ruined cathedral, once the largest in Scotland, will no longer be viewable from the often windswept top deck.

While the mode of tourist transport remains popular with visitors to Glasgow and Edinburgh which both operate open top bus tours, and in other historic beauty spots including Oban, fewer of those who visited the famous Fife town - often by car - were taking the open top trips.

Stagecoach East Scotland, which operates the St Andrews service, said that a "lack of demand" has forced its previously-popular tourist bus off the road.

The company confirmed that the St Andrews open top tour will not operate this year, following a review of last summer's operation which saw limited demand for the service.

For a number of years the open top tour bus has taken tourists around St Andrews' many attractions with local driver Mike Reid providing "commentary and a friendly welcome".

One St Andrews resident said: "It looks like open top buses are going the way of seaside rock.

"Most tourists come to St Andrews by car, and the open top tour is seen as a bit out-of-date."

This year, the distinctive vehicle will make appearances from time to time on a coastal route in north-east Fife instead.

The bus will be found on the company's Fife Coastliner 95 route, connecting St Andrews with Kingsbarns, Crail, Anstruther, Pittenweem, St Monans, Elie, Upper Largo, Lower Largo and Leven.

Open top journeys will be advertised in a new timetable guide, although may be substituted for a standard double deck bus when required.

Over recent years there has been a noticeable change in demand with fewer tourists making use of the dedicated St Andrews tour while at the same time an increased interest in the many tourist attractions along the coast.

Andrew Jarvis, the managing director for Stagecoach East Scotland, said: "While we are disappointed that the reduced passenger usage means it is no longer viable to operate the St Andrews open top tour, we are pleased to continue the tradition of operating our open top bus in St Andrews and extending it to the many tourist attractions and scenic locations in the East Neuk.

"We hope that this will appeal to both tourists and locals alike and encourage everyone to visit more of the great destinations that Fife offers."

The operator said details of open top bus journeys on route 95 will be available in the near future.

Open bus tours, which first appeared in England in the 1930s, are popular in Scottish cities despite the sometimes inclement weather.

Glasgow City Sightseeing tours is run by Campbeltown-based West Coast Tours which also operates open top tours of Oban and Bute, and Lothian Buses runs Edinburgh Bus Tours with 30 open top vehicles on the road.