| Buses Need Friends Too
Bus passengers are invited to work with transport policy makers and bus operators on an exciting new initiative in which they get to 'befriend' their bus. The idea came from the Transport Pool, an open group of volunteers that was featured on this show in June last year, and will bring together bus users with those who live, work or play on the routes. By building a stronger sense of community amongst bus users and a stronger sense of accountability both on the side of the operators and the passengers, it is intended that the 'Friends of Routes' initiative will help to tackle not only reliability issues but also anti-social behaviour. Overall it will make the experience of using buses in Manchester a more positive one.
Bill Harrop, Transport Pool Facilitator, is excited about the new initiative: 'Potentially it's a fantastic opportunity to get people involved in their local bus services. The operators, the council and GMPTE have shown great interest in the idea, which is bound to have a positive impact on bus performance and the experience of using public transport. You never know, it might even get people talking to each other.'
So look out for an opportunity to befriend your bus. More news as we hear it. See the Transport Pool Website for more detail.
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Bill Harrop at Piccadilly Bus Station
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