SO First Manchester is at it again, cutting services left, right and centre, and just keeping the core routes to Manchester.
Local people are being abandoned.
The most recent rumour is the withdrawal of services 536 and 537 Darcy Lever circulars.
Combined, they make a 10-minute bus service from town (when they turn up).
What is replacing these services? Route 95 from Bolton to Pendleton! Firstly, does anyone actually make a trip to Pendleton only, or would they rather carry on to Manchester (a further 15 minutes away)?
This service is only an hourly bus service, so if you miss it that's it for 60 minutes.
Before, if you missed a bus or one didn't turn up, you only had to wait 10 minutes for another 536/537.
If they wanted to withdraw the 536 and 537, why couldn't they have just re-routed the 561/562 around Darcy Lever?
It would not have required any more buses than the 561/562 uses now, and it would actually have created more buses in each direction from Darcy Lever.
What extra cost would this have created for First?
People will just use their cars even more, taxis and private hires will be glad of the extra business, and people of Darcy Lever will never trust First Manchester again.
Michael Bennett
Whiteoak View
Darcy Lever
Bolton
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