WHEN youngsters found it hard to catch a bus to school and college, Bolton education bosses found there was only one thing to do - set up their own transport service.

Now pupils at Westhoughton High School and students at Bolton Sixth Form College's north campus in Smithills can catch the minibus service from Wigan and areas in the south of the borough.

The service has been set up by the Bolton West Collaboration, which represents Westhoughton High School, following complaints there was no direct bus service to the sixth form college and the connecting services that did exist were less frequent.

The Greater Manchester Transport Executive has provided extra funding for it.

Giles Bennett, assistant principal in college admissions, said the minibus service has made a big difference for students, making it easier for students living across the borough to attend the college.

"Some students found it hard to get into college because of the decline in frequency of bus services," he said.

"We take students from all parts and we wanted to give them the best chance to get to the college. We did not want students to go to colleges outside Bolton, so we set up the minibus service. The new service has made a difference to students from Kearsley and Farnworth who had found it difficult to get to the college."

Some students travelling to Bolton Sixth Form College had to catch two buses to get to the Smithills Dean Road campus and last year the frequency of those services was reduced.

The subsidised minibus service runs through Kearsley, Farnworth, Green Lane, Higher Swan Lane and up the A666 to the campus.

It costs students £5 a week to use the service and the minibus also picks up pupils going to and from Wigan and drops them off at Westhoughton High School.