Town snubbed in bus marketing brochure

First Buses has snubbed Rochdale in a full colour glossy brochure to students. The guide lists entertainment, food and drink venues, shopping, theatres, museums and the bus services in Greater Manchester but while most boroughs in the region received a two page guide and Bolton, Salford, Bury, Manchester, Oldham and Wigan were all featured, Rochdale was ignored.

MP Paul Rowen reacted angrily after seeing the brochure and has been in touch with First Buses making them aware of the glaring omission. He is also calling for First Bus to produce a supplement for students detailing the benefits of visiting Rochdale.

“I was made aware of this snub by a constituent who is a student in Manchester," he said. "They were quite rightly upset that their home town was ignored. First Bus has a near monopoly in our town and gets a lot of business from local people. The fact that they have ignored our town is a huge snub.

"Yes, it is not their job to promote Rochdale but why have we been ignored?

"This brochure could have been a boost to our town’s economy and I hope that by printing a supplement they can make amends. I also want an assurance that they are committed to our town, a town that gives so much to this bus company.”

The MP for Rochdale has contacted the Council’s Tourism Officer, asking him to ensure that First Buses and their marketing team have a full list of ‘what’s on’ in Rochdale.