A FUEL crisis and bad weather didn't prevent the Ring and Ride transport service reaching parts that other buses can't.

The Leigh area service ferried 150,000 passengers for those travellers who are unable to use ordinary public transport.

An annual report of the service during 2000/1, just studied by Wigan councillors, showed Ring and Ride in Greater Manchester managed to exceed the 1.28 million target passenger journeys set by the Passenger Transport Authority.

At a local level just under 165,000 passenger journeys were carried out by the Wigan Depot -- more than 2.5pc over target.

Ring and Ride's achievement is all the more impressive as drivers of their fleet of 70 minibuses had to contend with the fuel crisis and particularly wet weather.

The service is managed by charity the Greater Manchester Accessible Transport Limited providing transport seven days a week from early morning to late evening. All vehicles have lifts to make boarding easier and due to their small size are able to travel down side streets.

To travel on "Ring and Ride" passengers book by telephone the day before and journeys are allocated on a first come, first served basis.

The report by Peter Taylor, Wigan Council's director of engineering services added that the company had consolidated well in its first full year of non-growth in resources and met targets of unspecified economies of £120,000 that had been set in the budget making process.

Mr Taylor has asked councillors to note the progress of GMATL.