A NEW shared taxi service for people in Westhoughton will be introduced if a bid for government cash is accepted.

Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority is backing the bid for a share in £20 million of funding designed to improve transport in rural areas. GMPTA members say that more effective public transport is needed in Westhoughton.

Authority vice chairman and Bolton's spokesman on the group councillor Guy Harkin said: "This funding would make a huge difference to the lives of local people who have difficulty accessing public transport due to the remoteness of their situation.

"It is particularly important to make services available to parts of the community which do not fall easily within commercial public transport routes and a shared taxi service would provide a solution for the many people in Westhoughton who are affected by poor transport links."

A previous bid for funding for a shared taxi service in part of Bury was successful.

Full details of the Westhoughton scheme will not be revealed until funding is secured. However, shared taxi services, also known as Arranged Passenger Transport, generally work in the following way:

Services are provided by a taxi or minibus

The service is booked by phoning a central operator at least one hour before you want to travel

The service will arrange to pick a passenger up as close to their arranged time as possible and definitely within 30 minutes of that time

The service will only be available to passengers who book their seats through the designated phone number

Passengers can then book their return journey with the driver.

Currently single fares on other schemes are £1, concessionary fares are 37p and GMPTE passes and travel vouchers are valid.