SIR: I would like to congratulate GM Buses for their Smithills to Bolton service (the 526) this morning - there actually was a service!

This contrasts with Tuesday morning when, upon arriving at the Ainsworth Arms stop at the top of Halliwell Road at 8.45am, I was advised by one old lady that if I wished to get to work I had better start walking as no buses had been sighted going up to Smithills for quarter of an hour and so therefore there would be none coming back down.

I decided to walk and, as I spied a bus on it's way up while I was halfway down, decided to wait at the bottom - it arrived at 9.15am. By my reckoning this means there were no buses for three quarters of an hour.

The following morning (Wednesday) I decided to wait at the top of the road as usual - I only waited 20 minutes! It soon became apparent that others had waited much longer, people were understandably annoyed with the driver - where had he been? To make matters worse one passenger who alighted at the bottom of the road decided to hold the bus up by chatting to the driver.

I decided to visit the bus station today to find out where to complain and also to get an up-to-date timetable, just in case most of the morning services had in fact been cancelled - but no, as I thought, It's supposed to be one service every ten minutes from 7.40 in the morning.

In spite of all the above I'd also like to congratulate GM Buses on sending lots of empty school buses down Halliwell Road just to get our hopes up that we may actually arrive at work on time, and also many thanks for yet another great increase in the fare.

That address?

The Complaints Manager

GMPTE Freepost

Manchester

M2 8DT

Mr J D Godley

Temple Road

Bolton

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.