Two Manchester students will have no excuse for being late in future, after bus bosses provided a new bus service to get them and their friends to school, starting today. The new service has been put on following lobbying from the two students and the newly-formed Longsight Transport Group [1].

Nur Saleem, 14, and Abdullah Kassas, 12, were getting into trouble for being late for school because they were having to wait so long for a 53 bus from Longsight. Standing at a bus stop one day, frustrated by the no-show bus, the boys spotted a poster for a meeting of the Longsight Transport Group. They went along to the meeting to find someone who would listen to their grievance and suggest what action to take. The Longsight Transport Group took up the students' case at a meeting with Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE), who agreed to fund a new school bus service.

Nur Saleem said:

"I think this is a great idea and it has been put into action very quickly. It makes me and my family feel safe and secure."

Manchester Academy principal Cathy August said:

"I'm delighted that the students have taken responsibility for doing something rather than just complaining. They will be getting Active Citizenship awards".

The Longsight Transport Group was set up earlier this year by Friends of the Earth and ALL, a local community network [2], following a ground-breaking research project into local transport problems in Longsight [3] which showed that the community's main concerns were for better buses and reducing the danger from traffic. The standard of service on the 53 route was identified as a particular problem.

Friends of the Earth believes that transport planners should consult widely with local communities to ensure that public transport services meet people's needs.

Longsight Transport Group support worker Kirsty Ogle said:

"The local community told us that local bus services were a real problem and it's great that we've achieved something positive so soon. There's still a lot to do to get the better buses and safer streets that Longsight needs, but this is an excellent start".

The next meeting of the Longsight Transport Group is on Wednesday 28th April at 6pm in Longsight Library. The meeting is open to everybody.

Notes

[1] The Longsight Transport Group was set up in January this year. It brings together local residents and aims to influence decisions being made about transport and safety in the area.

[2] ALL is a network for voluntary and community groups in Ardwick, Levenshulme and Longsight, aiming to enable and encourage such groups to support each other and share information to provide a stronger voice for the local voluntary sector..

[3] The year-long research project was carried out by Manchester Friends of the Earth, the Hamilton Road Area Community Association and Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The researchers went into the local community to talk to people at the places and at the times where they meet anyway, using simple visual and interactive techniques. Groups consulted include a sewing class for local Bangladeshi women, a Sure Start nursery group and people waiting at a bus stop. This was the first time that the approach - known as participatory appraisal- had been used to look at transport problems in the UK.

The project found that people's priorities were

• better bus services - especially on the number 53 bus, and cheaper Megarider tickets (weekly travel cards)
• reducing the danger from traffic - including measures to slow down traffic, more pedestrian crossings and safe routes to schools
• reducing the danger from crime - including more CCTV and police on the beat. Document created with wvWare/wvWare version 0.7.2
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