Bus route saved as passengers protest
12:50pm Tuesday 20th February 2007 in Leisure By Andy McFarlane
ANGRY bus passengers told transport chiefs of their fears for services across Bolton at a "meet the managers" session yesterday.
First Manchester had been considering the future of the 95 service from Bolton to Pendleton, claiming it had not been making enough money.
But faced with protests, bus bosses yesterday said they have given the route a reprieve while they monitor passenger levels and try to get more to use the service.
About 50 people met bus operators and passenger transport chiefs at the Age Concern building, near Moor Lane Bus Station.
Among them were many residents who have been petitioning First to ensure the 95 service is kept going. Frank Berry, aged 82, of Somerton Road, Breightmet, said he hoped the 95 service would win a permanent reprieve.
"If they take that away, there will be nothing else and there are people in their 80s and 90s who use it a lot," he said.
"I live 100 yards from a bus stop and I have been told we could always go to Bury Road instead but that would be half an hour's walk."
The 95 route links Bolton, Breightmet, Radcliffe, Whitefield, Prestwich, Car Clough and Pendleton via Kersal. If it is withdrawn, it would leave Darcy Lever, The Haulgh and parts of south Breightmet without public transport.
While route 95 has been given a reprieve, services will be greatly reduced on routes 553 between Bolton and Leigh, serving Walkden, Little Hulton, Deane and Daubhill, and the 554 from Bolton to the Trafford Centre, via Farnworth, Morris Green, Little Hulton and Walkden.
Edna Massey, aged 85, of Hurst Street, Morris Green, said the cancellation of the 554 would leave her with a 10-minute walk to St Helens Road to catch the 582.
She said: "There are no buses coming up Morris Green Lane any more. They just said the service wasn't viable."
Cllr Nick Peel, Bolton's representative on Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, said it might consider further subsidising the 553 and 554 to ensure the service was not lost.
"The system allows the bus operators to hold us to ransom. They withdraw buses and say if you give us more money we'll put it back on," he said.
Some visitors suggested low passenger figures could be down to drivers not recording when they let pass-holders on to the bus.
But First service delivery director Bob Mason said: "All staff understand the procedure and they are quite clear. They should record all pass users and all concessionary customers should receive, in effect, a nil-value ticket.
"We are continually running internal communication campaigns about this.
"We've looked at numerous options in the past to improve the performance of the 553 and 554 services but unfortunately we haven't been able to do that."
