I would like to thank all the people who came along to the recent public transport operators' surgery at Age Concern near Bolton bus station.

The meeting was one of three trial surgeries arranged by Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority.

I represented GMPTA on behalf of its Transport Network Committee and all Bolton MBC members were informed of the event.

The purpose of the trial was to help us decide the most appropriate format for future public transport operator surgeries, including the time of day, venue and the style of meeting.

Previous surgeries held at Town Halls immediately prior to our Local Transport Public Forums have been poorly attended, so I am pleased that over 50 people came along.

We do have a few lessons to learn from the Bolton surgery in terms of room size and accessibility.

However, everyone who attended was given an opportunity to raise their concerns face-to-face with the relevant person or transport operator.

GMPTA is committed to making sure that passengers have as many chances as possible to have their say about their services.

I look forward to seeing more events of this kind taking place in the future.

People can also comment by contacting the operator direct, filling out a GMPTE comments form (available at bus stations) or online at www.gmpte.com/comments Councillor Nick Peel Bolton spokesperson GMPTA