I WOULD like to correct a mistake in a letter from F Platt ('Gold service is tarnished', Bolton Evening News, January 23), who bemoans the poor reliability of the 524 bus service.

This "gold" service is operated by bus operator First, not the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, as your reader states twice.

Since deregulation in 1986, the vast majority of bus services in Greater Manchester are run by private bus companies such as First on a profit-making basis.

Any member of the public who is let down by their local bus service has the full support of GMPTE, which is a publicly-funded body and places a high degree of importance on public transport users' interests.

Although GMPTE does not operate any transport services, our officers are responsible for monitoring the bus network and reporting back to Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority.

Your correspondent may be interested to know that GMPTE and the authority share the concern about First's general service performance of late.

We have sought and received assurances from First that recent reliability problems are being urgently addressed and that Bolton's bus users should notice a marked improvement in their services in the next few months.

In the meantime, GMPTE does operate a passenger comments service and I encourage anyone who experiences problems with bus services to put the details in writing to: GMPTE, FREEPOST MR7 116, 9 Portland Street, Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester, M1 8DT.

We will forward all complaints on to the operators, and in certain instances of continued problems, refer the matter to the Traffic Commissioner for the North West, who has powers to penalise operators.

Chris Mulligan

Director General

GMPTE