Bus routes axe saves pounds 1m

FirstBus, one of Britain's biggest bus companies, is to scrap more than 85 services in and around Manchester after local transport officials yesterday failed to agree a formula for extra subsidies to save the threatened routes.

GM Buses North, a FirstBus subsidiary, blamed the IRA bomb three months ago, saying it had deterred passengers from travelling to the city centre, making the routes uneconomic. It is expected to save at least pounds 1m. Joe Clarke, of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, accused the company of "creating a crisis by opting for greater profits". Patrick Tooher