ALTRINCHAM has the best bus station in Greater Manchester - and that's official.

The town's station came out ahead of other shortlisted interchanges in the county to win first prize in the best bus station awards.

Members of the public visited stations and judged them on information provision and the friendliness of staff. The facilities, appearance and cleanliness of each station were also taken into account.

Cllr Maureen Rowles, from Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, helped to judge Altrincham as the best station from those shortlisted by members of the public.

She says: "It was not an easy decision but I am very pleased to be able to present this award to the staff here at Altrincham as I know that they all work hard to maintain high standards of customer care and cleanliness.

"Many of Greater Manchester's bus stations benefited from refurbishments during 1999 and although Altrincham is one of those bus stations, we have not given this award solely on the basis of these improvements. However modern a bus station is, it still needs to be properly maintained and well run by its staff. The staff here at Altrincham have proven themselves to be a highly professional and hard working team."

Cllr Roland Griffin, the authority's spokesman for Trafford, adds: "The authority is keen to see and promote high standards of service at all the bus stations in Greater Manchester and I am, of course, delighted that Altrincham has won this prestigious award."

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