THIS week the Bus Services Bill passed its Third Reading in Parliament unopposed, the penny has finally dropped for the government that Thatcherite bus deregulation has been a failure.

Our town is the perfect case study of such failure combined with poor management on the authority’s behalf. Therefore this should be a call to arms for Warrington Borough Council to reverse the rot.

Andy Burnham, the soon to be Mayor of Greater Manchester, was vocal last Tuesday about the condition of bus services in the north and pointed out how it is cheaper for four young people to get a taxi to their destination than to get the bus – something our generation have been saying and reluctantly doing for years.

Warrington was named and shamed by Graham Stringer (MP for Blackley & Broughton) during the third reading for offering no concessionary travel to young people.

I remember my time at Priestley College at the beginning of this decade and watched (and don’t I regret only watching) as the Tories stripped away the educational maintenance allowance followed by the council dropping young person passes that took the sting out of the £3.80 per hour we received from the little part time work we could get during the recession.

The effects of Network Warrington’s failures this have not been felt just in young people’s pockets.

I do not have figures to hand, but I know there has been an exodus of our generation from Warrington, a brain drain that has meant some of the most talented and enthusiastic people I know have left for good as the town offers next to nothing for them.

Decent public transport is supposed to be guaranteed in an advanced capitalist society.

Trekking from Orford to Great Sankey to see an acquaintance as it is too expensive to get there. Any other way takes its toll after a while.

It is no coincidence there are more youngsters riding bikes around town (which is a positive effect of this mess) as it sure beats walking.

There would be more of us about on two wheels if our roads weren’t so clogged up with cars to and there were was minimal cycling infrastructure in place around town.

This letter might sound polemic as it is, I’ve seen enough.

I have German friends who howl in laughter and then look at me in disbelief when I tell them about the condition of public transport in our town.

Warrington Borough Council, drop the stoic attitude, put preparations in place now and grab the bus services bill by the horns as soon as practically possible as a way of reversing the crippling effects of next to non-existent public transport in our town.

MATT WYNNE Burnage