BUS company bosses have been given a month to improve their operation after one in four services failed to show up on time.

But a public inquiry has told the Blackburn with Darwen Council-owned bus company that its vehicles are up to scratch.

The inquiry was called by the government's Traffic Commissioner after concerns were raised about Blackburn Borough Transport's buses, its finances, and the reliability of its services.

Beverley Bell, Traffic Commissioner for the North West, said she was satisfied the bus company had put adequate systems in place to ensure that its vehicles were safe.

But, Blackburn Borough Transport has been given a month to prove that it has adequate systems in place to ensure that services run on time and that passengers are given the service they expect.

The inquiry was told that government inspectors found that one in four of Blackburn Borough Transport's services were either late, failed to show up, or were early in the last year.

However, a company director said it had only received five or six letters of complaint since Christmas and that the company dealt with 100,000 people every week. The company must now produce documents to satisfy Mrs Bell. She said: "I would like the company to provide information regarding the number of drivers disciplined over the last 12 months for matters which have affected the reliability and punctuality of the company's registered services."

Speaking about the condition of Blackburn Borough Transport's buses Mrs Bell added: "I have heard evidence from the inspectors and I am satisfied that the operator has not fallen foul of any regulations."

Blackburn Borough Transport has also been told it must produce further documents to prove that its financial standing meets government regulations.