First bus staff take views on board

First Bus managers meet customers in Oldham town centre. Left to right, Patrick O'Sullivan (First staff development coach), Beverley Holdaway, Deborah O'Connell, Royce Franklin (Saddleworth Parish councillor), Rebecca Williams, Maya Williams (7 months), Ian Hulse (depot manager for First in Oldham).

SHOPPERS and commuters turned up in their hundreds to give their opinion on First bus services around Oldham.

First staff brought a bus along to its stand in Oldham town centre yesterday where shoppers were asked to fill in a survey,

First — Oldham’s largest bus operator — has seen passenger numbers grow by 8 per cent since it lowered fares in April by as much as 30 per cent. Passengers now save £5 on Greater Manchester FirstWeek tickets costing £13 and 50 pence on Greater Manchester FirstDay tickets which now cost £4.

Oldham depot manager Ian Hulse said: “Most of the comments we have received have been positive. It is always important for us to listen to what our customers have to say. We lowered fares in April and wanted to know how that has affected people.

A few people asked if they could have more buses and raised questions about punctuality but most comments were positive. Feedback from the travelling public is always welcome.

Nurse Rebecca Williams, who lives in Rochdale and was shopping in Oldham, said she used the bus every day when she was a student nurse at the Royal Oldham Hospital.

“I am happy with the service provided,” she said. “The fares going down, when everything else is going up, makes a nice change too.”

Rebecca, who works at Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport was given a couple of balloons to tie to her seven-month-old baby Maya’s pram.

Shopping bags were also handed out by staff who included a driver, operations manager, customer service agent and business development director.

With a modern fleet of more than 600 buses and a network of over 300 routes serving Greater Manchester, First will soon be bringing more of its new single-deck buses to Oldham when it introduces new routes in the next few weeks — details of which will be published in the Chronicle.