SO, First Manchester do it again. Admittedly, they have increased the number of buses along South Drive, but they have missed the point of the old route 545.

It served not only the shops of Harwood, but also the Hough Fold Way estate. We still have a direct link to the Harwood shopping centre, but we do not have a service back! This does seem to be a bit stupid.

A letter appeared in the Bolton Evening News a few months ago, when First Manchester advised they wanted to sell their present depot and move to a new one. How many other services are to be cut, how many more people are to lose out on services to shopping areas of this fine town? First Manchester call themselves a local company. How can they claim that when they do not operate any services to Astley Bridge, have virtually removed all services to Halliwell, and have greatly reduced services to other areas/housing estates within the town? Yes, Blue Bus could replace these services, but they only have a licence for so many buses and they are at their quota, and there is no other moderate size bus company in Bolton.

So not only is the local council strangling the town, but the major bus company is as well. How much longer before this town becomes a ghost town, again, like it was during the early 80s?

Thank you, First Manchester, you are killing this town. Manchester is not the bees knees -- it is only a part of Greater Manchester -- and we are not a suburb, so please do not treat us as a suburb. Bring back the community spirit that the company once had, when it was managed by its own people rather than a big conglomerate business. Do not forget that it is the people who live in the community that are losing out by not being able to work with one bus company, rather than two or three. So the cheapest way is by car.

Marcus Phillips

South Drive

Harwood, Bolton