MY wife Pat and I were honoured and privileged to be invited by the top brass of TfGM (Transport for Greater Manchester) and First Bus to be their guests on a new guided busway trip on the Tuesday before its April 3 start.

Kindness and courtesy were the order of the day.

We were picked up at the front door by Kathryn, who was our chaperone for the day – she returned us later to our front door.

The guided bus was luxurious from the outside, even better on the inside, with low floor access and colour co-ordinated – very easy on the eye.

The floor was different to anything that I’ve witnessed on a bus.

The bench seats are upholstered in leather – you would think you were on a luxury coach.

Upstairs there is tables, free Wi-Fi, USB charging points, climate control and audio/visual announcements – the Vantage buses are surely futuristic.

After boarding the guided bus, and sitting in the front seat together, the driver said, 'All safe, then we shall go?”.

The bus set off very quietly, with no clanging of railway lines. Within seconds we were swiftly on our way on a seamless journey through Leigh, Tyldesley and down the East Lancs to Irlam.

On board technology operates the traffic lights.

Where has this bus been all my life? It’s brilliant.

The guided section road is seamless and extremely flat, with no potholes.

Thousands of trees have been planted and bushes and shrubs are going in.

This will create a wonderful environment for the passengers and others who will use the very wide path which runs alongside the busway, which will accommodate pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.

What a difference to what it was 40 or 50 years ago when most of this area was a flat slag heap.

Frank Parkinson

Tyldesley