Buses are more efficient

FAR from showing ‘common sense,’ R.M. Greaves (Viewpoints, March 8) is showing a distinct lack of research.

The bus services withdrawn or reduced from April are almost exclusively ones that do NOT use bus lanes.

And I wonder what he/she means by a ‘costly, inefficient and unpopular transport system.’ The vast majority of bus services using bus lanes in Greater Manchester are fully commercial, ie. get NO subsidy from the taxpayer, other than for concessionary fares reimbursement.

Further, as the average car carries 1.2 people at peak times and takes up nearly half the road space of a double-decker bus, any bus carrying three or more passengers is more efficient than a car.

Routes using bus lanes at peak time are averaging up to SEVENTEEN times that figure.

And as for unpopular; yes, thanks to inflation-busting fare increases, timetable cuts on the best-loading routes and poor traffic management, bus usage is dropping.

Nevertheless, there were nearly 200 million bus journeys in Greater Manchester last year and the vast majority were necessary journeys used by hundreds of thousands of non-motorists to get to work, shops and health services.

What ‘popular’ alternative do they have; to walk long distances in all weathers, to use unreliable, heavily subsidised, ancient diesel trains or equally unreliable, overcrowded trams with ‘seats’ that make a dry stone wall feel like first class on a long-haul plane? Or does R.M. Greaves actually want them to run up debts by using taxis or buying cars? A few hundred thousand cars on Greater Manchester’s roads – how exactly would that reduce congestion?

Non-motorist, Denton (name and address supplied)