SIR: Following your recent article about the bus service to Rivington and Blackrod School (BEN: April 3), I feel it is important that I write to fully explain the situation.

GMPTE does NOT have a statutory responsibility for providing school bus services, as Mr Sackville appears to assure. We did have a responsibility for running bus services, but, since his government deregulated the bus network in 1986, operators are free to run services where ever they wish. No-one is able to compel a company to operate any services. Furthermore the company can withdraw any service at 42 days notice, which is what happened with the school service concerned.

We have, however, powers to procure bus services that operators do not find to be commercially viable, but which are socially necessary. This we do by contracting with bus companies to operate such services. This will include many buses used by school children to go to and from school; buses which can be used by anybody. GMPTE does not provide any bus services that are for the exclusive use of school children.

Following the withdrawal of the bus service mentioned in your article, we invited bus companies to tender for the route. However, due to the school's somewhat unfortunate reputation, no company was willing to take on this service. Bus companies have said that this is because they do not want to face liability for any accidents resulting from the children's behaviour while on the bus, nor do they wish to have to pay out large amounts for repairing repeatedly damaged vehicles.

After a great deal of work, GMPTE was able to persuade one company to operate the service, but only if the school would provide an escort for the journey. The school unfortunately declined this offer.

While we will continue to try to find an operator which will run this service, it is difficult to see what more we can do in this situation, since our powers of direct intervention are seriously constrained by the Transport Act 1995.

C Mulligan, Director General, GMPTE,

Portland Street,

Piccadilly Gardens,

Manchester.

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