I READ in the Lancashire Telegraph recently of another bus route being scrapped (n hospital one at that) and I must register my disgust at the way bus companies run their so called “services”.

When Margaret Thatcher denationalised public transport in the eighties the line from government was ‘don’t worry there will be that many companies vying for routes so the price of your ticket will drop like a lead balloon’.

And like the naive fools we are we fell for it.

Twenty years later, when the big boys have seen all the smaller competition off by fair means or foul we are left in the same monopolistic position we were in before, except without the duty of care that the old council-run companies did try to adhere to.

They kept less busy routes running by subsidising them from busy ones, listened to the complaints and comments of passengers and at least sometimes acted on them.

Transdev, which now runs Blackburn with Darwen buses does so totally, it seems, for its own convenience without any concern for the fare paying passenger, whether they are young or old or need to get to schools or hospitals.

But as in most things today profit is king make money and to hell with the right thing! JOHN SMITH, via e-mail.