FORGOTTEN passengers could be back on route but not necessarily on buses.

Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority has approved a report into the possibility of providing alternative transport services in problem areas.

Meetings were held following concern over the continuing disruption to passengers of the bus network.

With many services having been reduced and others cancelled, people in some areas have been left stranded.

Authority chairman Coun Roger Jones said: "We cannot, in all conscience, tolerate the current situation any longer. The time has come for us, as an authority, to take the initiative ourselves."

Plans to bridge the gaps in the service include extending the use of ring and ride, shared-taxi services and community transport schemes.

Coun John Hilton, Wigan borough's spokesman on GMPTA, said: "Certain areas of the borough have very good bus services. However, the current system allows bus operators to concentrate on the major commercial routes, but provides virtually no mechanism to ensure the more outlying areas of the district have adequate service levels."

Members of the authority have agreed to raise their concerns about the bus network at the highest political level as a matter of urgency.