A PUBLIC meeting has been called for today (Thursday, September 27) starting at 7pm in St Helens Town Hall to focus on claims that bus company Arriva are putting profits before passengers.

Councillor Terry Hanley, St Helens Council's representative on Merseytravel recently slammed Arriva's continuing package of bus cuts as "outrageous and an attempt to put profits before people". However, a senior spokesman for Arriva said there was no substance to these claims whatsoever.

Since January Arriva have announced more than 100 service changes including cuts, alterations to routes and re-numbering of buses.

Arriva run around 85 per cent of buses in St Helens and Councillor Hanley says the proposals would have a dramatic effect on local communities. Some of the cuts and changes to routes have already been made by the bus company. He adds: "This is all about maximising the more profitable routes at the expense of others - many of which are a transport lifeline for smaller communities".

Since Councillor Hanley raised the issue through the local press he has been inundated with calls from local people expressing concerns about bus services and the St Helens Star's letters pages have also received many complaints on the topic.

But Tom Balshaw, Operations Director of Arriva, said: "There is no truth in these claims. They are completely inaccurate, as there are no cuts in service planned for St Helens".