Christopher Amos (Bolton Evening News, July 29), accuses me of putting on "constructive spin" in my letter of July 27 with reference to First Bus services in Bolton.

I would respectfully ask Mr Amos to re-read my letter, as he obviously did not in the first place.

If First or any other operator gives me cause to praise them, then I will do so. Unfortunately, I have only had cause to criticise them recently, and on an increasing scale.

There is no reason at all why I would ever attempt to "spin" for a company whose only motive is ever increasing profits.

Removing bus services "at the drop of a hat" is something that flies in the face of my belief in public transport as a public service.

People have rightly asked why they are allowed to get away with this, and the simple answer is because they can.

Commercial bus operators (since 1986) do not need to answer to the GMPTA, and the GMPTA in turn has no control over where or how often they operate their services.

The ironic part of this is the fact that while it has no control, the GMPTA invests millions of pounds into the bus industry, the bulk of which goes to concessionary bus fares and subsidised services.

For example, we recently had to step in to keep the 527 running and the morning service of the 38.

Very often the tender is won by the company who withdrew the service in the first place!

I will continue to contend that the only real prospect of ever changing this rapidly worsening situation is by the Government giving the GMPTA similar powers to those enjoyed by London.

Only then could we, as a publicly accountable body, be able to effectively plan services across the conurbation, including those to isolated communities.

The notion of the bus network in Bolton being a "service" to the people of Bolton is fast becoming a thing of the past.

This is why we are lobbying the Government to give us the powers we need, and I urge Mr Amos and all other readers to do the same.

Councillor Nick Peel, GMPTA Spokesman in Bolton