I can well understand the feeling of frustration at First Midland Red for the withdrawal of several routes in the Redditch area.

However, it should be pointed out the company is actually acting responsibly by holding up its hands and admitting it can no longer operate a reliable service on these routes.

It would, in fact, be facing action by the Traffic Commissioner if it continued to fail to operate its registered service.

Steve Lloyd (Letters, October 3) was absolutely correct about the fact this is a problem faced by the bus industry throughout the UK.

A lack of drivers is something the industry needs to urgently get to grips with.

Hopefully, in the short term, the local authority will subsidise another company to run the journeys affected, but in the longer term there is trouble brewing as councils have only a finite amount of money to support gaps in the bus network.

Two facts need to be understood. In the current system of bus operation, First Midland Red is free to withdraw or add services at will as long as it informs the Traffic Commissioner.

The Redditch routes were operated as a commercial service, therefore giving the council no input financially or otherwise.

Secondly, First Midland Red does not own a franchise. It is a commercial, money-making business, free to operate buses wherever it pleases.

Franchising bus services - in a similar way to the way the rail network operates - has been looked at by the Government before but was felt to be unsuitable.

The situation in Redditch brings into question whether public transport should be run as a public service, using significantly more taxpayers' money, or operated mainly as a commercial money-making service.

There's a question next time you meet Tony Blair...

Phil Tonks

West Midlands Officer National Federation of Bus Users

40 Chapel Street

Wordsley

Stourbridge