£120,000 transport boost

OLDHAM is set to benefit from an extra £120,000 investment for community transport schemes.

The money has been pledged by Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority (GMPTA) to pay for vehicles and to support community transport projects.

More than half a million journeys using community transport were made in Greater Manchester last year.

New research by the Greater Manchester Community Transport Forum (GMCTF) found that volunteer drivers provided the equivalent of £190,000 of their time for free.

It also found nearly 90 per cent of trips helped passengers get to education, health facilities or to work.

Neil Foley, chairman of GMCTF, said: “Community transport provides a service where there aren’t any bus routes, at times to suit the passenger.”

The report found that passengers made 537,000 journeys using community transport last year.