ONE of Kidderminster's best kept secrets is the existence of a bus users' forum.

There must be some members of this shadowy body.

Do they, for instance, include any full fare- paying passengers? There is ample scope for comment about the hard work of using local buses - so where does the forum express criticism on behalf of the public service users it represents?

An outward bus stop on the Rifle Range route is so completely concealed by green overgrowth that even drivers are unaware of its location. Task for a "clippie" to reveal it, perhaps?

Is there a lack of joined-up Government thinking in the insidious perception of bus travel as an arm of the welfare state?

Surely comprehensive district-wide bus services should be a staple provision of a civilised community - reflecting council wishes for an inclusive society?

Dare I suggest that people feel self-respect paying a reduced fare - and have better grounds for being accorded respect, because they pay something?

G ANGELL

Franchise Street

Kidderminster