A NEW dial-a-ride bus service is being set up for families in Tonge Moor and Breightmet.

It will take patients, staff or visitors from their homes direct to the Royal Bolton Hospital.

The service will also allow people to get to other destinations in the Tonge Moor and Breightmet area, such as centres for childcare, shopping, leisure and community activities.

The system involves people booking their trip 24 hours in advance, then waiting for a mini-bus to pick them up from their home at the agreed time.

The bus link will be paid for by a new £413,250 grant from the Government's Urban Bus Challenge fund designed to encourage new transport services to help reduce problems of social exclusion in urban areas.

Councillor Guy Harkin, vice-chairman of Greater Manchester Passsenger Transport Executive, said: "The local communities in Tonge Moor and Breightmet have identified access to healthcare and employment as real local priorities.

"There are no direct public transport links between the area and the hospital.

"This service will provide direct links for patients, visitors and hospital staff who live in this area, as well as to a variety of other key opportunities that add to people's basic quality of life.

"Demand-responsive transport has been shown to help in reducing social exclusion by taking people to a range of different places, such as to education, to work, to doctors' surgeries, to hospitals, shops and leisure activities."

The service will run early in the morning until late at night, seven days a week, with reasonable fares. Early morning journeys will cater for the major shift changes at the hospital and evening links will be provided for visitors.

GMPTE will now work with Bolton Community Transport to fine tune the details of the scheme, which will come into action later this year.