Oldham Council has adopted a resolution to campaign for a fairer deal for local residents on bus fares.
The motion, proposed by Councillor Sean Fielding and seconded by Councillor Eddie Moores, was unanimously adopted at a meeting of Full Council tonight (July 11). It highlights concern about the bus fares which local residents are paying in comparison to those in other parts of the Greater Manchester region.
Jim McMahon, Council Leader, said: “As a Co-operative Council we should also be a campaigning council and one that stands up for the interests of our residents.The future of public transport in Oldham looks much brighter with the arrival of Metrolink now, and the forthcoming town centre extension, but there are big concerns about the fares that local residents are having to pay on buses.
“FirstBus has a near monopoly on bus services in our Borough and the wider North Manchester area. That wouldn’t necessarily be a problem if the fares were comparative, but the figures we have do not appear to suggest this is the case.
“We believe people in Oldham are paying too much for their bus fares. As a Council we will now take up this cause to work with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and to lobby and campaign wherever we must in order to change this.”
