An article on the BBC local news web pages says that the night buses that were operated by First Bus out of Newquay on Saturday nights in the summer holidays, and similar services operated out of some north Devon towns by Stagecoach, resulted in lower crime rates in those towns. Devon and Cornwall Police said "crime and ASB reports fell by 35% in North Devon and 10% in Newquay compared to the previous summer, while drink-driving offences also reduced.”
The story also confirms that the bus companies received support funding for the services from the county and district councils in north Devon and from Cornwall Council, as well as from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. This is not surprising, although it was not announced at the time of the introduction of the services. It never seemed plausible that the services could be operated commercially.