Great news for Bury as expanded Ring and Ride service is a success
For the second day running, your Lib Dem representatives on Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority (GMPTA) have good news for local public transport users, and this time it’s of particular benefit to the most vulnerable people in the Borough.
A new door-to-door transport service for people with access and mobility difficulties is off to a flying start in Bury. GMPTA extended the popular Ring & Ride service at the end of January when it added nine new minibuses to provide extra trips across the conurbation.
In the first few months, 246 passengers journeys have been made from Bury on the new ‘cross boundary’ service into neighbouring districts. And 2,355 journeys have been made.
Ring & Ride makes a real difference to people who find it difficult to use ordinary public transport to get out and about. It has always been a very popular service for making trips in Bury but we’re always listening to users’ suggestions for improving it. We surveyed passengers and they said they would be prefer to keep on paying a fare rather than travelling for free - so long as we invested in this new cross boundary service.
So I am delighted to see so many people finding it useful. It is clearly giving Ring & Ride users in Bury a lot more choice about where they can travel.
Previously we could only offer local district based services but the new minibuses are allowing us to take people that bit farther afield into neighbouring areas. The investment has clearly been worthwhile and I’m glad to be able to offer such an improved service. I’d encourage anyone who might want to give Ring and Ride a go to call GMPTA and register to use the service.
Passengers must register their details before they travel by calling the Bury depot on 0161 764 1999.
The service currently runs from 9.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday. Journeys can be booked from seven days in advance up to one hour before travelling.
To book a journey on the cross boundary service call 0845 688 3989 (lines open between 8am and 4pm, Monday to Friday).
Fares are set at £2 for a single journey, and £1 for a single journey for GMPTE concessionary permit holders.
For more information on Ring & Ride visit www.ringandride.info http://www.ringandride.info
Great news for Bury!
Rick
2 Comments
have your say
Which party controls the PTA?
Labour are the largest group on the PTA. Then the Lib Dems, then the Conservatives, and one member of the Community Action Party in Wigan.
The question of control is very similar to Bury Council actually.
A quick totting up of numbers on the GMPTA website indicates that, as far as I am aware, no group has overall control.
Certainly Labour took the Chairmanship and vice-Chairmanship at the annual meeting after the elections in May. At this vote the Conservatives didn’t support the Lib Dems’ proposals that they (the Lib Dems) took the Chairmanship.
It’s interesting that despite their assertions about the situation in Bury being a conspiracy to keep them out of power, Bury Labour don’t refer to the identical situation on the PTA as some kind of Lab/Con pact. Nor have they referred to the situation as a “Labour Tory coalition” for the last year. That’s because it isn’t, just like there is no coalition in Bury between Lib Dems and Conservatives.
On the PTA, Labour have minority control, but have to rely on us and / or the Tories to get anything done.
Having said that, there are very rarely any votes at the PTA. I can remember no more than two all year. So perhaps the simple answer to your question is that control of GMPTA is exercised through all party discussion and debate?
Both Bury delegates to the PTA are Lib Dems. We were elected to get good things done for public transport in Bury, and it’s what we’ve done here.
PS - thanks too for your other comment. I haven’t published it because I don’t understand it. I tried to email you to tell you as much, but apparently your email address doesn’t exist. How odd…