THERE are few things that raise more hackles than public transport.
We live in a time when we are increasingly raising our efforts to help the environment by finding realistic alternatives to travelling by car.
But leaving the petrol-guzzler at home and travelling by bus or train is very often made just too difficult.
Villagers living in and around Skelmanthorpe know all too well the problems.
They have been complaining that new timetables brought in by bus operator Stagecoach are appalling and that many people have been put to inconvenience.
Students attending Barnsley College are among the worst hit, being forced to take a journey that is not only longer but also more expensive.
Hardly helpful to them. And yet another setback to the dream of a carless society.
At the moment, Metro has little say over the routes operated by bus companies, the timetables or the vehicles used - unless it actually pays for the route.
So we must welcome the Government's announcement about giving local councils more of an involvement in the running of buses.
A lot more substance is needed before a true judgement can be passed and long-suffering bus passengers will take some persuading that things really will get better. But at least it is a step in the right direction.
Perhaps the proof will be when we see our MPs on the bus - and not just as a publicity stunt.
Then we will really know that the reforms have worked.
