I MUST take issue with your correspondent Janet Kitchen who described York's public transport system as "abysmal" (Letters, May 6).

It may not be perfect and it is unlikely ever to offer the door-to-door and on-call convenience of the private car, but it does not deserve to be described as abysmal.

There are some things which the city's bus service does very well, as growing numbers of people are finding out.

In the last three years First York has transformed the standard of service it provides for city residents, and this has successfully reversed the long-term decline in bus use.

It is not resting on its laurels and continues to explore ways of developing improved services.

In February changes were made to the service in Janet's home area of Ashley Park to address the reputation that service had gained for poor reliability.

In March the company increased the frequency of buses on its trunk route between the University and Acomb in response to growing demand.

Meanwhile, other bus companies in the city have quietly got on with providing excellent services which carry substantial numbers of satisfied customers.

Many people depend on the city's bus services to meet their travel needs and many others use them from choice.

If there were more of the latter group willing to use buses when they provide a realistic choice for their journey, York's roads may be less congested for everyone.

Exaggerated and generalised allegations of poor quality service, which give the services and their providers an unjustified bad name, will not help to achieve this goal.

Terry Walker,

Public transport planner,

City of York Council,

St Leonard's Place, York.

Updated: 11:30 Wednesday, May 12, 2004