MANY bus passengers in East Lancashire will not be surprised at the comments of North West deputy bus regulator Mark Hinchcliffe. He described Stagecoach Ribble's performance as an "intolerable record of failure" as the company was fined £120,000 following a public inquiry.

Passengers who have waited in vain for buses which have not turned up or arrived late know exactly what he was talking about.

Deregulation and its spirit of competition was supposed to solve the country's bus service problems. Plainly it has not.

Huge companies like Stagecoach have swept aside the minnows and become monopolies.

As the deputy regulator said, people will not leave their cars at home until public transport can provide a reliable, regular service.

And companies like Stagecoach must remember that they are supposed to be providing a public service and if they don't they should be swept away and organisations established which will.

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