I HAVE just heard that Arriva has decided to end the number 16 bus service and I wanted to make a complaint as follows: I live in Sale and work in Manchester on the Universities site.

I am too far from the Metro Station in Sale and the bus is my only option.

The number 16 is great for me as I can get it a couple of minutes walk from my house and then a couple of minutes walk to work in Manchester.

The alternative is to get the number 19 to Sale then change for the number 263. I then have a 15 minute walk to work and while I maybe could do with the exercise, it makes the whole journey much more onerous and longer.

I have been making the same journey now for almost three years and have found that in the early morning there are always a reasonable number of people on the bus, ranging from school children, students, patients for St Mary's and the eye hospital to workers like myself and the same on the return journey.

Removing this service will mean awkward journeys for many people.

If you live in Sale West, there is no viable alternative to the Arriva services. I would also add that to date there has been no communication from Arriva, either in the form of notices on buses and at bus stops or on their web site.

Is it possible for this decision to be reversed or another bus company to take over the route?

Mr J Norbury, address supplied