SO First Group have won the franchise to run TransPennine rail services (Evenig Press, July 31). Not good news if their performance is going to be anything like their mis-management of York's bus services.

Last week First changed the number 16 service making some buses 16A which takes a longer route.

First failed to tell regular users of the change so this re-routing now means my daughter now arrives home from work half an hour later.

The new "improved" route also means that at certain times of the day passengers joining the bus at Acomb Green Lane catch it from one side of the road, while at other times they use the bus stop on the other side.

First have also increased the fare on the route.

The reason? It goes a longer way round.

When approached First's reply was: other users wanted the bus to take a different route; you can always get a bus into town and change; or why don't you leave work early to catch an earlier bus?

So beware, when First Group take control of the rail services over the Pennines it is likely the M62 will become even more congested as more disgruntled passengers turn their back on an inefficient, expensive public transport system.

David Potter,

Lynden Way,

Acomb, York.

...First bus services in York are a shambles. I have just arrived home after waiting in Stonebow from 1.40pm, for the 1.50pm number 16 bus which never turned up. No one at First knows why.

The number one and four services run every ten minutes. Why did they take a bus from a service that was every half an hour and make it every hour?

R Morris,

Hamilton Drive,

Holgate, York.

Updated: 11:33 Saturday, August 02, 2003