Financial cutbacks have forced bus giant First to abandon a forward-thinking attempt to use social media to keep customers up to speed on problems with services in Bath.

Staff at the city's bus station, who have just moved in to new premises at Dorchester Street, used a blog, a Twitter account and Facebook to update people about delays, route changes and other developments affecting bus services.

But the pioneering work is being brought to an end this week after what staff call changes to the firm's business structure.

Although there will still be customer service staff at the new bus station, their numbers are being reduced as First creates a new regional customer services centre in Exeter.

In an announcement on its blog, the Bath office said: "It is with huge regret that we have to announce that we have to suspend our recent experimental social media work, due to economic constraints. This includes the bathcsc.info blog, the @bathcsc Twitter account and our Bath Bus Station Customer Services Facebook page.

"Unfortunately, due to the current economic climate, First is having to make changes to its business structure. As part of making the company more cost efficient, the customer services function for Bath Bus Station will now be handled by a specialist, area-wide centre based at Exeter. As a result, the local staff here at Bath Bus Station will be reduced in number and sadly there will be no resources available to maintain our recent social media activity.

"We will continue to respond to comments and queries until Friday June 26. We will leave resources, such as this blog, online for everyone's reference, which we hope will be of use to you all."

It added: "We have very much enjoyed interacting with you all through social media and hope that you have all found this useful and enlightening as you used our buses. This experiment has been extremely interesting for us and we hope that First will be in a position to consider this approach to customer services again in the future, when the economic climate allows."

A spokeswoman said it was hoping to learn lessons from the nine-month experiment.

"The Bath Twitter trial attracted an enormous amount of interest, both inside and outside the organisation. We are now looking at the lessons we have learnt, and benefits associated with the system, with a view to developing a national social media approach to customer services for the future.

"There are still customer services facilities at Bath Bus Station, with representatives on hand to help any customers with queries."

The Omnibuses 2.0 bus industry website said the experiment had been FirstGroup's "only foray into social media."

It said: "The blog was always jauntily written. It was an ideal way of keeping people up-to-date on fares, punctuality and services in general. It proved useful when the city became gridlocked and invaluable at keeping people informed during this winter's heavy snow.

"Its literate leading light portrayed a thoughtful attitude that counters the often prevailing perceptions about First - if indeed these perceptions pertain to Bath. Even at the end, the writer has maintained a suitably stateswomanlike dignity and appears in no way bitter about the change."

First can still be reached on 0845 606 4446 or by emailing bath.csc@firstgroup.com.