Greater Manchester

Awareness week for Shaw residents

On the 26th October 2009 we attended a safety awareness day for the residents of Shaw, organised by the Greater Manchester Police.

Primarily aimed towards the elderly residents to raise awareness, various agencies we were on hand with information from First Choice Homes Oldham, Oldham Leisure Services, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.

Residents could also get a free flu jab and advice about the digital switchover.

We were on hand to give advice on safe boarding of our vehicles and handed out Safe Journey Cards, which have been designed specifically with the needs of many of our customers in mind.

The Safe Journey Card allows our passengers to privately let the driver know what sort of help they need, including if they need a little more time to reach a seat.

Claire Johnson, commercial director for First in Manchester, said: "The bus is a popular and convenient way for elderly people to get about and we want them to feel as safe as possible while travelling with us. Thats why we issue Safe Journey Cards which well be giving to the residents this week. The idea of the card is that the passenger can easily let the driver know if they need any help such as giving them time to reach their seats before setting off.'

If you could not attend the event you can download your own Safe Journey Card by clicking on the safe journey button on the left hand side menu.