Bus service improving report says

First Bus services are improving says a report

The performance of First Bus in Norfolk is improving, but its services still need to be improved according to a council report.

Norfolk County Council officers investigated First Bus's service after widespread concern over its performance in 2003.

In January 2004 a report found that reliability of First Bus services in Norwich was still patchy.

A new report says the decline in performance has been stopped.

But it adds that the firm has not achieved a "consistently high level of reliability", particularly in Norwich in a survey of the last 16 months.

Monitor performance

First argue there have been significant roadworks in central Norwich over this period.

The report goes before Norfolk County Council's cabinet committee on Monday.

It says the £850,000 Busnet project in Norfolk - using global positioning satellite to track buses - will allow bus services to be better monitored.

The council hopes the scheme will also improve performance.

The report says the council "must continue to assess the performance of First, especially in Norwich, as well as other bus operators, and strive to improve timekeeping performance".