The reliability of bus services in Ramsbottom are set to be improved after complaints from residents.

Ramsbottom Cllr Gareth Staples-Jones wrote to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) to highlight passengers' concerns, including the lack of regular buses on the 472 and 474 circular services.

Both services were transferred to bus operator Go North West in September as part of changes rolled out for Greater Manchester's publicly-owned transport system, the Bee Network.

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In a letter shared by Cllr Staples-Jones on social media, Martin Shier, head of bus network design and operations at Bee Network, said: “We’re aware there have been some problems with the reliability of services 472 and 474 since they became part of the Bee Network.

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“This is largely due to a number of challenges around transferring drivers and vehicles from the previous operators which impacted the performance of the service throughout September and October.

“We made sure these issues were addressed and sorted quickly and we did see some improvement in the performance of these services for a short period.”

The timetable for the services will be adjusted from Saturday, January 27 and the Bee Network app will be updated more regularly so passengers can access up to date information.

In the letter, Mr Shier said he is aware that the reliability of services have "suffered in recent weeks" for a number of reasons.

He said: "This is largely down to an increase in traffic volumes as well as a number of planned and emergency road closures ongoing which further adds to congestion.

"The autumn and winter months can also have an impact on bus reliability- adverse weather conditions have reduced road speeds and caused congestion along key routes. And our town centres did become busier with events and seasonal activities leading into Christmas and New Year.

He added: "Please be assured that we're continuing to work hard to make sure our customers get a service they can rely on.

"A full review of the performance of all Bee Network services operated by Go North West was carried out in late November and early December, including services 472 and 474.

"This included monitoring tracking data from the buses and holding driver feedback sessions to identify where adjustments to timetables are needed."

Mr Shier also said work is being carried out to improve the Bee Network app and was "disappointed" to hear about "instances of drivers being rude to passengers", and he encouraged people to report such incidents to the transport network.