BUS fares in Bolton for the elderly, disabled and under-16s are set to rise by 25 per cent to help the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority balance its books.

The group's policy committee is expected to approve the increase, the first in four years, which will see a concessionary ticket go up in price from 40p to 50p next month.

A similar rise is also being considered for subsidised rail and Metrolink tram fares, currently set at 45p.

Cllr Nick Peel, who represents Bolton Council on the authority, said members faced a tough decision.

"It comes down to a choice between putting up concessionary fares or passing on the cost to the council tax payers," he said. "In an ideal world, the Governemnet would subsidise tickets but unfortunately this does not happen."

Cllr Peel said the move would safeguard subsidised and un-profitable routes in Bolton, which could have been cut if the increase had not been agreed.

If the increase is approved, councillors on the committee are expected to put a freeze on further rises for two years.

The price of a standard ticket has also risen by 25 per cent since the last concessionary rise was implemented in April 2001.

At a recent meeting of the committee, members heard that at a recent public consultation meeting, transport users and bus operators gave their backing to a rise as the most appropriate method of balancing the authority's budget, rejecting the alternative of reducing the level of bus services the authority financially supports. Any increases to concessionary fares would be introduced on March 1.

Cllr Andrew Fender, chairman of the policy committee, said: "We always consult with local transport users from across the county on the options open to us while preparing our budget.

"Passengers have told us that keeping bus services on our roads should be our main priority and they wouldn't want to see cuts to our budget in this area.

"We are recommending that the maximum 10p rise would be fixed for at least two years, meaning that there will only have been one rise to the concessionary bus fare in six years, which is an unprecedented length of time."