Traffic chaos, missing buses and the return of proper snowmen in the Tameside area
For most of us around the UK, this week’s weather has had a fundamental effect on our daily lives. Whether we were stuck on trains to and from the continent or walking to the railway station, we will have no doubt been affected by the lack of grit on the roads and pavements. Read the rest of this entry »
A case closed from Barrett Holmes
Somewhere within ‘More Lost Bus Routes of Greater Manchester’ is reference to a bus route from Stalybridge to Macclesfield Hospital operated by North Western Road Car Company. Thanks to a little clearout I had recently I found what I had considered to be the Holy Grail. Read the rest of this entry »
East of the M60 is doing a blog about it
OK, only kidding about the subtitle. After a number of more serious bus based articles I thought it would be a good idea to lighten the mood a little.
These findings and observations have come about from my personal experience as a bus user able to remember the dying days of Greater Manchester Transport and thereafter. I may throw the odd dafter one in for good measure. Read the rest of this entry »
Tameside area service changes (December 2009):
After being awarded to First Pioneer on an emergency tender since the 5th October 2009, Speedwell Bus has regained the Monday to Friday daytime service of the 343 route. Prior to then, the Hyde based company operated the route since April 2007, with the weekday service being ran commercially since the 25th April 2009. Read the rest of this entry »
Since I wrote the first installment of ‘Lost Bus Routes of Greater Manchester’, there has already been a favourable response in terms of comments and visitor numbers. This has prompted me to continue the series further. With the fluid nature of bus routes since deregulation began over 23 years ago, it has made for fascinating reading and jogged a few memories of those who have almost forgotten the routes. Read the rest of this entry »
Anger as Top Mossley residents are cut off from outside world by road closure.
When’s the best time to close a main road for roadworks: Christmas Day? Half Term holidays? The rush hour? Christmas Day would of the three as most people would be sat at home scoffing turkey and listening to this year’s X Factor winner (whom would have rigged the Christmas No. 1 spot for the umpteenth time). In a small town, the half term holidays is a least worst option due to the reduced schools traffic. Read the rest of this entry »
A special mixtape to celebrate 40 years since the formation of SELNEC PTE
40 years ago came one of the most revolutionary reforms to public transport management in the Greater Manchester area. As per Barbara Castle’s 1968 Transport Act, part of this legislation involved the formation of Conurbation Transport Authorities. Read the rest of this entry »
Another tumultous month awaits us…
The school holidays are already over and the next few weeks are going to be far from dull indeed for Tameside based bus enthusiasts.
After the last Bank Holiday, a major change has been made to Stagecoach’s 389 route, with the service no longer running to Stockport. Since then, the revised terminus has changed to Gee Cross, in line with First Pioneer’s Sunday and Bank Holiday service. As a result, the 386 service from Greave to Stockport has been restored and taken over by Arriva North West. Sister services 380 and 381 too have been taken over by Arriva.
As a consequence of the traffic on Ashton New Road, Speedwell’s new S50 route will be revised to run between Ashton and Mossley only. This is a temporary measure till the Metrolink works have finished. Last week’s Tameside Reporter also included reference to Speedwell’s proposed expansion of S50 service with evening and Sunday operations in the pipeline.
In the latest installment of The Incredibly Fluid 343 Route, there will be an operator revision. From the 5th October, First Manchester will regain the Monday – Friday daytime route which was lost to Speedwell in April 2007. In the last month, Speedwell intended to deregister the daytime journeys leaving Flowery Field without a full time link to Stalybridge and Dukinfield. This led to the formation of a Facebook group (Save The 343) favouring the route’s retention.
With the next round of major service changes due by the end of October, the 343 could well be changed yet again, as an emergency tender has been granted to First Manchester for the interim period since the 5th October 2009. This recent change will be the fourth one which has affected this route in the last 6 months and the eighth in the last 6 years! By contrast, the 346 has had half that number of changes within the same period.
Elsewhere, fellow Monday – Friday daytime Speedwell routes 41 and 337 will also be operated by First Manchester. This will leave the two local services in the sole hands of First for the first time since September 2006.
With the unanimous ‘No’ vote of last year’s Transport Innovation Fund referendum and the recession, we could be in for a bumpy ride. If I expect to be walking more at 60 than at 30 years, you’ll know why.
S.V., 22 September 2009.
For a fair number of us weary commuters, travelling on any form of public transport is an ordeal. Whether its overcrowded trains, high fares or slow journey times, it brings out the inner grouch in us. Such manifestations of this may lead us to yearn for a 1950s utopia of steam trains, short pants and the Light Programme, or drive us to… drive – and add to growing traffic congestion.
One good thing about this 1950s utopia was the launch of paid holidays. In the space of the last 50 years, we have progressed from a week at Butlins to that of a week abroad thanks to cheaper air travel. The latter has resulted in higher CO2 emission sources from transport alone.
Overlooked by this increased demand for travel is the humble service bus. Due to increased car ownership, it has till the last two years been in continuous decline. Recent fuel prices and re-regulation of buses in Greater London have been the contributory factors to increased patronage.
We tend to travel by bus on short to medium distance journeys, with the rest of the journey completed by a longer train or coach ride, and possibly another bus at the end. What we do forget is that some journeys are best enjoyed by bus than any other form of public transport.
Its piece de resistance lies in rural and semi-rural routes for the views ahead. The UK is blessed not only with its scenery but also, in some areas, double decker buses. Which other vehicle allows for unrivaled views of the scenery ahead besides observation railway coaches?
A long bus journey on a most scenic route allows the passenger time to dream, some space to relax, and forget about the tedium of the desk/commuter cattle truck/rush hour traffic. It allows us to stop and stare like the sheep and cattle on the hills, though anywhere between 3′ – 7′ above ground. On higher terrain, we are treated to birds’ eye views of the horizon (especially on double decker vehicles).
The Zen Guide to Recreational Bus Travel
Scenic Routes Worth Trying:
Finally
It is worth noting that most bus routes outside Greater London are commercially ran. As per the 1985 Transport Act, bus companies determine the frequencies, which also means frequent changes to the timetable of each route or buses within that given area. Frequencies and journey times may be changed at short notice due to road works or service withdrawal. If you are unfamiliar with the route or need to clarify the route’s timetable, consider telephoning the local bus company/companies or Transport Direct.
Alternatively, log on to Transport Direct’s website or any of your local bus companies’ websites. If the local operator is part of a transport owning group like First, Stagecoach or Arriva, you may be able to search their website(s) by area.
It also pays to be at the bus stop some 10 minutes before your desired journey, to allow for early running, or late running buses on earlier journeys.
Though bus companies are carrying more passengers (due to free travel for aged persons), services are still no more profitable than before, if there is a low number of full fare paying passengers. This may result in some lesser routes being withdrawn, so please support them to avoid this scenario. On a personal note, whilst off work, I like travelling during the weekday off-peak periods due to higher frequencies than, for example, Sunday and Bank Holiday services.
The best book on the subject is David McKie’s treatise on little known bus routes throughout the UK. It focuses on the routes less trodden on and some of the lesser known local landmarks which are just as important (locally) as St. Paul’s Cathedral or The Great Pyramids.
Well, I’d better leave you to your own devices and let you return to when ‘we had time to stand and stare’ by forgetting everything other than your bus fare/pass/day saver/return ticket.
S.V, 07 September 2009
Defunct bus routes in Greater Manchester formed after deregulation day
For the most part of the last 25 years, bus operations outside London have been subject to the worst excesses of neo-liberal economics. Networks have continuously shifted to meet ‘market demands’, resulting in an unstable system which has seen falling passenger numbers. This has seen inferior service quality, higher fares and older vehicles on our streets. Greater Manchester is no exception, and even more so, having had at one time some 71 operators within the GMPTE ticketing boundary.
Despite all this it has given us many weird and wonderful routes. It has also done more to increase the use of minibuses on streets once unserved by standard buses, and brought competition to soap opera type proportions. Bad points aside, there has been few dull moments.
As the creative genius behind East of the M60 has missed more buses than the average car loving Tory voter, this installment of The Not So Perfect Ten focuses on lost bus routes in the Greater Manchester area. All routes suffixed with an asterisk denote the ones I have travelled on myself.
Each entry includes reference to its replacement routes, correct to August 2009.
1: Stockport – Trafford Centre (X5)
On our imaginary journey, we take the X5 from Stockport bus station to the Trafford Centre. To commemorate the opening of Peel Holdings’ cathedral to consumerism, Stagecoach Manchester launched limited stop route X5 in September 1998. This followed the 371 route up to Cheadle before joining the M56.
What happened next: the route was withdrawn after 2 years. For most passengers it was easier to get a 371 between Cheadle and Stockport. Given the high concentration of car ownership and affluent population, it lost out, unanimously to the car.
2: Trafford Centre – Mossley, Hey Farm (600)
Launched also at the same week as the X5 was the 600 from Mossley, Hey Farm estate. Whereas the X5 had an hourly frequency on Monday – Saturday, the 600 was a much more limited affair (1 return journey, Saturdays only). Operated by First Pennine, it was a limited stop route which called at Mossley (Hey Farm, Bottom Mossley and Brookbottom), Ashton-under-Lyne, Denton and Brinnington, before joining the M60 motorway. There was also further stops at the Portwood junction of the M60 motorway and Stretford Arndale Centre.
What happened next: the route withdrawn in August 1999. A faster option for most Tameside residents would have been the car: the journey took 50 minutes from Hey Farm. With its pitiful frequency, a train to Manchester Victoria, and the 100 from Arndale Bus Station would have been a better alternative. Even now, it is more convenient for Tameside bus users to change at Manchester city centre (for example, 216/219 from Ashton then the 250).
3: Mossley – Ashton-under-Lyne (341):
Between these two points, I could in 2009 catch the 350, or (from the 3rd August) the S50. From the start of deregulation, two independent companies made an impact in Mossley: one was Checkmate Coaches, the other, Dennis’ Coaches. The latter company, from the 27th October 1986, launched a new service to Ashton.
Compared with the 350, Dennis’ used standard excursion coaches for their service. It also differed from the GM Buses service by being the first bus route in Tameside to stop at an ASDA store. Along with sister route 342, it gave Uppermill and Mossley a link with the store on Langham Street.
What happened next: the route was an early casualty of deregulation, being withdrawn by the summer of 1987. Most of the route is covered by First Pioneer’s 350 route with the section to Langham Street covered by Stagecoach Manchester’s 231 from Queen’s Road to Waterloo (Oldham Road/Wilshaw Road junction). The ASDA store moved to its present site on Cavendish Street in April 1989, served by the 41/330/335/345 bus routes.
4: Ashton-under-Lyne – Hyde Circular (D32):
Dukinfield in the latter part of the 1980s and early 1990s saw a glut of minibuses on short distance local routes. For example, GM Buses had the number 1 route, which competed with Pine Coaches’ P1 route, and Bee Line Buzz Company service 14. Lesser known was Dennis’ Coaches route D32, launched in May 1990. The route whisked passengers in the direction of Hyde via King Street and Ashton Road before returning to Ashton.
What happened next: there is little reference of this route (though I would be grateful if anyone had any further information). However, most of the route was replaced by extensions of their 216 and 219 services to Manchester – calling at the forecourt of the Morrisons store off Foundry Street. The Dukinfield extensions of the 216 and 219 were withdrawn by February 2001.
5: Hattersley – Hyde – Ashton-under-Lyne (333):
Another pioneering operator of the late 1980s and early 1990s was Stuarts Bus and Coach. Formerly known as Trimtrack, the coach company started bus operations on Deregulation Day, carving a niche around Hyde, Newton and Hattersley.
Our imaginary journey has taken us to the 1981 version of Hyde bus station with its draughty stands. I take my place at Stand D for an Ashton bound 333, operated with an Alexander bodied Daimler Fleetline, de rigeur for 1991. The 333 began at Hattersley, continuing to Hyde and Ashton, via Dukinfield Town Hall.
What happened next: the route was renumbered 3 to avoid confusion with the Ashton – Smallshaw Circular service. It outlasted Stuarts Bus and Coach’s stage carriage operations, following the company’s loss of GMPTE contracts and safety record. The route was taken over by Stagecoach Manchester who extended it to Glossop and renumbered them as two routes (398/399) in 1998. The section between Ashton – Hyde was withdrawn, due to duplication of sister route 330.
The Hyde – Glossop section remains, albeit with some journeys amalgamated with former Glossopdale route 341 and other journeys renumbered 397. Since 2007, both routes have been operated by Speedwellbus.
6: Ashton-under-Lyne – Glossop (S36):
In 2002, Speedwellbus was established as a private hire company in Glossop. Two years later, it began bus operations with the S36 service to Ashton-under-Lyne, competing with Stagecoach Manchester’s 236/237 services.
Back in Ashton, our imaginary journey has taken us to 2004 with the sight of one of Speedwellbus’ pristine Optare Solos. The S36 continued to Tameside Hospital, Stalybridge, Mottram-in-Longdendale and Hollingworth, before stopping at Glossop.
What happened next: the S36, which entered Glossop via Back Moor, lost out to Stagecoach Manchester. Their 236/237 routes were rerouted via Back Moor, with another route (238) being diverted to serve Tameside Hospital. Being robbed of these unique selling points saw the withdrawal of the S36. Soon after, Speedwellbus won the tender for the 238 (formerly the Ashton – Hattersley – Hyde extension of the 201) and the 239. The 238 has since been renumbered 387 and is operated by First Pioneer.
7: Ashton-under-Lyne – Oldham – Grotton (398):
After a pint at The Star Inn near Glossop railway station, our imaginary journey sees us returning on the S36 to Ashton. We finish up at Stand M of Ashton bus station and see a crowd of people leaving the then new Arcades Shopping Centre. I was back in 1995 and realised that I had left my Teen Travel Club card at home and didn’t want to pay GM Buses North fares aboard the 409 to Oldham.
I chose the Stotts service 398, operated by a former South Yorkshire PTE Leyland Atlantean. The Alexander bodied bus in its smart livery whisks me to Oldham for the princely sum of 90p (actual 1995 adult fare to Oldham from Ashton aboard their route). The service followed the 409 route up to Oldham (West Street) before continuing to Grotton via St. Mary’s Way and Lees Road.
What happened next: the service was withdrawn by 1996, giving GM Buses North (and ultimately First Manchester) monopoly status between Ashton and Oldham on the 409 route.
8: Oldham – Ashton-under-Lyne – Dukinfield (P1):
The P1 was for a short time Pine Coaches’ sole route, linking Dukinfield (Yew Tree) with the Morrisons store and Ashton-under-Lyne. It differed by dedicating one stretch of its route (Armadale Road) to genuine hail and ride operation, without the need for conventional bus stops.
On my imaginary journey back to Ashton, I am back in October 1991 where I eschew the Leyland Atlanteans of GM Buses (Northern Counties) and Bee Line (Eastern Coach Works) on the 409 for a Mercedes minibus. The route followed that of the 409 between Oldham and Waterloo (Dog and Partridge), entering Crowhill via Littlemoss Road, and continuing to Ashton bus station. The Dukinfield section followed the 340 route up to Armadale Road, which it would take to reach Morrisons, before terminating at Yew Tree.
What happened next: the P1 service was withdrawn in 1992, a year after its extension to Oldham. Much of the route lives on in the form of the 41 (except for the Morrisons link via Armadale Road North) and the 337, both operated by Speedwellbus and First Pioneer.
9: Ashton – Failsworth – Manchester (434):
After returning home to find my lost Teen Travel Club pass, I get the P1 back to Ashton and return once more to the late 1990s in my fantasy time-travelling mission. Waiting in the same bay as the 419 route (M stand again, with the 400/401), I board the 434 operated by First Manchester.
Much of the 434 service had its roots in Citibus service 428. The main variation was its route out of Ashton. Whereas the 428 followed the 409 up to Hollins Road junction in Hathershaw, the 434 followed the former 332 route via Turner Lane, then followed the 428 route via Hollinwood, Failsworth and Newton Heath.
What happened next: the 434 was renumbered 396 in 2001, terminating at Newton Heath. The route was operated by Vale of Manchester till 2004 before its present operator Speedwell Bus (along with sister route 395, Limehurst Farm) took over.
10: Bolton – Manchester (X9):
I am more or less back in the recent past of 2004. After winning the 400 Trans-Lancs Express the previous year, Horwich based independent Blue Bus launched a new express service to Bolton from Manchester. With a journey time of 38 minutes, it followed the number 8 route up to Moses Gate, with non-stop running on the A666 bypass. From there it joined the M60/M61 motorways before joining the A580 for Swinton, Pendleton and Salford, before reaching Manchester. Within Manchester, the service stopped at Albert Square and Piccadilly Gardens, before calling at Deansgate and returning to Bolton via Bridge Street.
A small number of buses, including an Optare Metroliner minibus received promotional liveries. This had its roots in an earlier plan to add a special livery for the 400 route.
What happened next: September 2004 saw the withdrawal of the X9 due to low usage. As Blue Bus was having some financial problems at the time, the business was sold to Arriva North West on the 31st July 2005. The limited stop section between Manchester and Swinton is covered by Stagecoach North West on their X61 route to Preston. A slower link to Bolton via Swinton is maintained by First Manchester in the form of their 12, 22, 36 and 37 routes.
Postscript:
With the network continuously changing, it is a task of Herculean proportions to keep up with the times and route revisions. I know myself being a long-time bus and rail enthusiast for the last 25 years. Though the timing of service changes seemed to have settled in recent years, updates to the network, could seem more frequent to the average user than his/her software patches – if he/she uses more than one company’s routes.
Whoever gets elected by 2010, there is half a chance that the Greater Manchester bus scene would be as interesting in the next five years as of now and before then. Though the Big Three (FirstGroup, Stagecoach and Arriva) remain dominant at this moment, I could see in five years from now smaller companies taking a greater share of routes deemed unprofitable by the Big Three. These would not only include local independents (Jim Stones Coaches, Speedwellbus and JP Travel for example), but third sector groups (for example Partington and Cadishead Transport) and taxi companies.
If the free market model of the 1985 Transport Act remains in place, I could see this happening more within 2 – 3 years. In fact it is already happening in some parts of Greater Manchester, so we should expect more weird and wonderful routes.
As usual, any comments are welcome, on the routes covered. Expect to see a follow-up pretty soon (possibly embargoed till the 26th October).
S.V., 30 July 2009
The Colours of Greater Manchester: Michael Eyre and Peter Greaves (Capital Transport, £22.00)
Tram Sunday: I hate that day with a passion. This is not so much for the lack of buses, but more so the stalls. It is an absolute incitement for me to spend silly money on transport books and DVDs. This year’s was no exception, returning home with three DVDs, two books and a handful of antiquarian bus tickets.
One of my two books is a recently published work by Michael Eyre and Peter Greaves entitled ‘The Colours of Greater Manchester’. The book focuses on the many liveries used by municipal and private bus operators between 1955 and 1969 in what is now Greater Manchester. Chapters are devoted to each of the constituents which made up SELNEC, Greater Manchester Transport and its forerunners.
Also covered is Lancashire United, the UK’s biggest independent bus operator before deregulation and its takeover by Greater Manchester Transport. There is also reference to Hubert Allen’s famed Yelloway coaches and a short chapter devoted to A. Mayne and Son.
As well as displaying the liveries through the ages, photographs have been carefully chosen to give the reader a wide variety of buses used by each operator. As well as Ralph Bennett’s Mancunian bodied Atlanteans (and his Bolton Transport ones before then), Manchester City Transport airport services and SHMD’s dual-door Daimler Fleetlines are also covered.
For your £22.00, you get an A4 hardback book with 100% full colour photos accompanied with details about the place and the route itself. The book is an absolute must for any Greater Manchester bus enthusiast. It’s a great book for the coffee table, suitable also for bogside/bedside reading.
I enthusiastically await a follow-up focusing on deregulation era liveries (which may well be as thick as an Argos Catalogue). Nice work guys!
S.V., 24 July 2009
For the purpose of this Not So Perfect Ten, I have decided to focus on the best ten pieces of music featuring buses. This may include direct or indirect reference to buses in its lyrics, song title, or instrumental pieces.
First and foremost is a more obvious entry; The Who’s Magic Bus. There is no reference to defective services nor high bus fares, just a straightforward plea to board their Magic Bus. Both The Who’s tune and Magic Bus played a part in the early years of bus deregulation. The first Magic Bus service began on the 26 October 1986 in Glasgow. Using an AEC Routemaster in an early version of the Stagecoach livery, Brian Souter launched Magic Bus’ cheap and cheerful service taking fares whilst dressed in a rabbit suit!
The Who tune was adapted for a GM Buses advert. Shown in the run-up to deregulation in the Granada region, it cheerfully announced the dawn of GM Buses, ‘picking you up tomorrow as usual’. What happened on deregulation day and the day after seemed to be opposite. On the same day was the first televised Manchester Derby game, resulting in a sub-40,000 attendance (at the time, the lowest ever at Maine Road). The lure of Brian Moore/Martin Tyler or the fear of bus deregulation chaos? You decide.
The second is a surreal piece from Half Man Half Biscuit. On their most recent album CSI:Ambleside, Little in the Way of Sunshine is peppered with references to bus routes around Shropshire. Parts of the lyrics include advisory signs seen on buses.
From Shropshire to Salford, we see a different side to bus travel immortalised in Last Bus. Written by The Salford Jets in 1979, it is a wry observation and warning on boarding night buses in Greater Manchester. Recently, this track has been reissued as part of their ‘Greatest Hits’ album ‘Manchester Boys’. Headed by Rock Radio DJ Mike Sweeney, they are well worth seeing live. I saw them perform an acoustic set at The Railway in Greenfield recently and they were great.
On the B Side of The Human League’s comeback single Tell Me When is The Bus to Crookes. This is a track about the 51 service to that part of Sheffield which begins at Gleadless Town End. At present, First South Yorkshire operates this service (please tell me if anyone knows different).
Another good bus related song also released in 1995 was Tour Jacket with Detachable Sleeves. As part of the Half Man Half Biscuit album Some Call It Godcore, the song starts well with a few friends going to a gig at the local polytechnic. That is until they find it was full of tribute acts, finishing with a bus journey from Hell, ending in an accident. There is reference to the 71 and 72 bus routes from Liverpool to Heswall via Birkenhead, operated by First Crosville.
Madness’ Cardiac Arrest is more to do with a hellish commute to work. In the narrative of this song, a time pressed commuter feels frustrated by the slowness of his bus. Fearing a late arrival, he gets wound up, hence the “I wish this bus would get a move on; driver’s taking his time”. It almost reminds of some of my bus based commutes from Hell in Greater Manchester. At least he had a conductor (as seen in the video) aboard his AEC Routemaster rather than a flustered driver trying to balance promptness with encapsulating weekly or monthly bus tickets.
The ninth one has nothing to do with buses whatsoever. Lucky Stars by Dean Friedman was his biggest and best known UK chart hit. The conversation with uncredited vocalist Denise Marca could have been anywhere other than aboard the Hale Barns Express. Its link with buses was Greater Manchester Transport’s ‘Sounds in Motion’ experiment, as (according to anecdotal evidence; my parents) it seemed to have been the only tune played!
The purpose of GMT’s ‘Sounds in Motion’ was to generate extra advertising revenue whilst keeping its passengers aboard the top deck entertained. 8 minutes per hour was allocated to advertising, with 52 minutes for music. If anybody else could remember ‘Sound in Motion’ (and as to whether they played anything by Supertramp or any other artiste(s) besides Dean Friedman), feel free to comment.
My final one is Bus Stop by the Hollies which is a gentle observational piece of waiting for a bus by the great Graham Gouldman of 10cc fame. It paints a picture of the boredom endured by passengers at Ashton bus station whose 346 is forever delayed by the schools traffic.
Any further suggestions are welcome. Cushty!
S.V., 17 July 2009
Except on Saturdays
Recent service changes have seen Micklehurst Road and Staley Road disappear from the Greater Manchester bus network, with the exception of a Saturday only service.
Monday to Friday daytime journeys on the 343 (Oldham – Mossley – Hyde) route will follow the evening and Sunday route. Speedwell Bus, operator of the weekday daytime service has since lost the subsidy from GMITA resulting in this change. Passengers using the bus from Staley Road or Micklehurst Road will need to walk to Egmont Street or Winterford Road. Also scrapped is the Buckton Vale Road link which would mean Carrbrook passengers will have to change at The Carrbrook (late Buckton Castle) for the 348 to South View.
Passengers of the 343 from Dukinfield will however see a reduction in journey times to Mossley, equalling First Manchester’s evening route. The Saturday service operated by JP Travel (which along with the First Manchester service is subsidised) remains unaffected. The revised timetable also offers better connections for Dukinfield passengers with Flowery Field railway station.
Other changes:
East of the M60 Comment:
To compensate for the lost journeys on the 343, I would like to see Staley Road return to the bus network full time. This could be achieved by rerouting the 217/218 service via Staley Road. Another idea could be the rerouting of the 217 via Micklehurst Road with the 218 serving Staley Road. However the former could be problematic due to the gradient and the width of Micklehurst Road.
S.V., 02 July 2009
Remembering the Bee Line Buzz Company
Readers of a certain age living in Greater Manchester may remember the early days of bus deregulation for clapped out double deckers, competition and ticket validity issues. There was one company which was an exception to this.
The 26th of January 1987 saw the launch of the Bee Line Buzz Company. Eschewing double deckers, its remit was to deliver high frequency bus services using minibuses. Instead of having a service with a half hourly frequency using double decker buses, the same route would be served with 20 seater minibuses operating every 7/8 minutes. Unlike conventional bus services, they could be hailed anywhere on the route like a black/yellow taxi cab (apart from some sections where conventional bus stops were used).
The idea of replacing conventional bus operations with frequent minibuses was not without precedent. Harry Blundred dabbled with this before deregulation in Exeter within the National Bus Company. This was later copied in the Hereford and Worcester city centre areas.
Up to its launch, the streets of Greater Manchester saw the PTE owned GM Buses competing against a wave of independent operators. Some were long established companies like A. Mayne and Son and Finglands. Others were more recently formed companies like Citibus and Stuarts. The launch of the Bee Line Buzz Company however did more to ruffle the feathers at GMPTE on Portland Street.
Unlike the older independents, the Bee Line Buzz Company was part of a national company, United Transport, who also had transport interests in South Africa. Its frequent services and modern fleet prompted GM Buses to launch its Little Gem services. This name superseded locally branded minibuses such as Ashton Minilyne for minibus services from Tameside depot.
Personal recollections:
I had my first experience of Bee Line Buzz Company’s services in February 1987, within its first week of operation. Mine was with 18 others as part of a school trip to Hatchett’s Wood in Wythenshawe. We caught the number 5 route from there to Palatine Road, West Didsbury for my then school at the time, which was Ewing School.
Also in the same year, I could recall boarding the number 14 route from Hyde Park to The Forester pub in Dukinfield. It was Guy Fawkes’ Night and along with my Dad, I went to a Tameside MBC organised display on the spare ground opposite Hyde Park. It seemed amazing to me seeing a computerised ticket machine, compared with the Almex ones used on GM Buses. The journey experience to me was almost like boarding a taxi given its intimate atmosphere compared with the usual double decker on the 343 route.
The routes:
As a proud owner of a Bee Line Buzz Company timetable with maps, the routes (as noted on the 14th of September 1987) were:
Only two of the routes remain in more or less of the same form as their 1987 route. These are the number 7 and the number 1 routes. The latter was renumbered 11, whereas the former’s route is virtually unchanged apart from the fact it also serves the retail park and multiplex cinema at Ashton Moss. Both are operated by Stagecoach Manchester and run to frequent intervals.
At this time of writing, the 7 has a 20 minute frequency operated with single decker buses, though no service after 2030 hours, Sundays and Bank Holidays. This is operated from Stagecoach Manchester’s new depot at Ashton-under-Lyne, just off Clarence Street. Marshall bodied Dennis Darts and Optare Solos are frequently used, with the former vehicles inherited from the acquisition of A. Mayne and Son’s bus operations in January 2008.
The 11 has a 10 minute frequency, also operated with single decker buses, though no service after 2030 hours, and on Sundays and Bank Holidays. This at present is operated from Daw Bank depot in Stockport. With the possibility of Charles Street depot closing this summer, could the 11 transfer to Stagecoach Manchester’s proposed new depot in Northenden?
What happened next?
Sadly, the party was over for the Bee Line Buzz Company’s bold aims by the end of the 1980s. Firstly, the company was acquired by Ribble Motor Services at the end of 1987. Stagecoach Holdings took over Ribble in March 1989 and sold the Bee Line operation to Drawlane. By 1989, its minibuses disappeared from the streets of Greater Manchester, replaced by worn out double deckers from privatised NBC owned companies such as London Country.
Drawlane later became known as British Bus. In 1993 – 1994, they tried to bid for GM Buses North, but were beaten by an employee and management buyout. By 1996, British Bus were sold to Cowie Holdings, before becoming Arriva two years later. In 1998, Bee Line was no more. Along with its stablemate North Western (not to be confused with the North Western of NWRCC fame), they became part of Arriva North West. Its operations were ran from Merseyside. Manchester area operations were known as Arriva Manchester.
Today, Arriva Manchester has two depots. One of them is the Manchester depot just off Fairfield Street, inherited from the original North Western, formerly owned by Tilling and BET. Its second depot is in Wythenshawe.
Though not part of Arriva Manchester (in this case Arriva North West), the former Blue Bus depot is Arriva’s third depot in Greater Manchester. This being the result of its acquisition of Horwich independent Blue Bus on the 31st July 2005.
Recommended reading and source materials:
‘Greater Manchester Buses’, Stewart J. Brown (Capital Transport, 1995);
Bee Line Buzz Company timetables (1987);
GMPTE Bus Times: 7 and 11 bus routes (2009);
7: Ashton – Reddish – Stockport (Stagecoach Manchester);
11: Altrincham – Wythenshawe – Stockport (Stagecoach Manchester).
Before I go…
I would be most grateful if anyone could fill me in with extra information on the 1987 Bee Line Buzz Company routes (in a sort of ‘Where Are They Now?’ type of thing). A special mention also to Martin Bryant of the Manchester Buses blog, who commented a few months back asking me about the Bee Line routes. I hope this article fits the bill in some way.
S.V., 08 May 2009.
Blogged with Flock
Had it not been for the actions of the AQA to include the Metrolink timetable as part of an ‘A’ Level literary syllabus, this post would not have been possible. Thanks to reports in the local and national press around November 2008, it had got me thinking ‘Yes! The 1972 SELNEC Southern timetable will be rated alongside the Bronte Sisters, Charles Dickens and Homer’ If my school’s English Literature syllabus included the Teen Travel Club leaflet from 1984 rather than The Merchant of Venice, that B would have been upgraded to a juicy A*.
My transport related literary classics are:
How can a book about transit maps be fascinating? Mark Ovenden proves that it can be possible. Metro Maps Of The World categories every metro map from the most elaborate (London Underground for instance) to more modest systems and projected ones too. Within this book is a history of how some maps evolved over the years, with some more concise references to the Melbourne system, Dublin DART rail and our very own Metrolink.
Also consider reading: Henry Beck: a similar book by the same author on the creator of the London Underground map.
Had it not been for Westminster pushing us from pillar to post, we would have had something more substantial than the Metrolink, a north-south heavy rail link with services from Bolton, Bury and Oldham to all points south. The fact it took over a century for Manchester to have a north-south based rail connection is scandalous (though that’s best left for another post), but this could have been possible – by 1980 – if The Picc-Vic Project was fully implemented. The reader is greeted with a cover of a possible subterranean Royal Exchange station and a train similar to BR’s Class 508 EMUs. The book details possible bus/rail interchanges, service frequencies and has its roots in SELNEC’s Lifeline 2000 book.
Also consider reading: Lifeline 2000: SELNEC’s precursor to The Picc-Vic Project route.
Till 1972, Stockport, parts of south Manchester, Trafford, Glossop and Tameside were served by the North Western Road Car Company as well as SELNEC and municipal operators before then. North Western’s bus services within Greater Manchester were absorbed by SELNEC and were briefly part of the National Bus Company. Their 1968 timetable was their last pre-NBC era one. As well as all its bus routes, reference is made to its summer holiday services, some from other operators and British Rail services. Also listed is information of market days, half-day closing and bus/rail through-ticketing. A fantastic publication. If only today’s bus timetables were that informative.
Also worth reading: any of Derbyshire County Council’s trio of timetables – a must for exploring the Peak District, Bolsover Castle or Uttoxeter for JCB’s Diggerland.
With Britain in the cut and thrust of recession, and a Tory Government inflicted fares increase in 1981, Labour took over GMC’s County Hall with a promise to freeze bus fares. Another strategy was the expansion of off-bus ticket sales, started by its predecessor. This included the new Teen Travel Club and Wayfarer tickets. The most thorough leaflet on this was A Fare Deal For You. The leaflet is also a good source book for 1980s fashions as well as Saver Sales points. Also included are the ticketing boundaries, details of mobile Saver Sales outlets and (in the 1983 leaflet) news of fare reductions!
Also worth reading: Teen Travel Club leaflets, 1984 – 1986. It is worth a peek for the fashions alone.
No enthusiast of Greater Manchester Transport should have a bookshelf without this tome. Greater Manchester Buses by Stewart J Brown is probably the definitive reference on all things in the Greater Manchester bus world from SELNEC to the government enforced split of GM Buses. Almost everything from Clippercards to Citibus is mentioned. My copy has taken pride of place for nearly 10 years and is one of my most read books besides the Argos and IKEA catalogues. The only downside is due to the book being 13 years old at this time of writing, Greater Manchester now needs a definitive reference of the bus scene since deregulation. 2013 could be the best year to start writing this section (covering the last 25 years of deregulation), as by then we may or may not see the congestion charge imposed and the changes to our transport network.
Also worth reading: 75 Years of Mayne’s Coaches, Mark Hughes (1995): this as well as covering the famed coach operator, offers excellent background reading on operations in the deregulation era.
In the First Dole Age of the last generation (1982 to be precise), Greater Manchester Transport set about promoting recreational usage of their buses to arrest falling patronage caused by high unemployment. Among its leaflets was the excellent To Market To Market By Bus. This provided the would-be traveller with information on markets in the Greater Manchester area from Bury market to Partington’s outdoor market. As one would expect, the centre pages included a map of its frequent bus routes and the market locations.
Also worth reading: To Market By Bus (National Bus Company, 1983), or The Big Shopping Book (GM Buses, 1989).
I only ever remember seeing this book once at a transport fair and didn’t buy it till recently (my purchase coming from an Uppermill bookshop). I should have done though, but 10 Years of Progress (1974 – 1984) by West Yorkshire PTE is a curio itself. The book is an affectionate history of West Yorkshire PTE’s achievements. These include the Saverstrip – their equivalent of the Clippercard, cheap off-peak travel and its terminal like bus stations. Even now, its bus stations are streets ahead of their neighbours in Greater Manchester. Sadly since then the Metro-National company was disbanded and is like Greater Manchester in being the domain of FirstGroup, Stagecoach and Arriva.
Also worth reading: any annual report of the PTE operators, which come close to this work.
Among West Yorkshire PTE’s crowning glories was Bradford Interchange. So much so that in 1978, West Yorkshire PTE published a glossy softback brochure. The brochure details how the depot is placed below the bus station level, its separate coach station, railway station and wealth of car parks. This was anchored by the proposed central offices for West Yorkshire PTE (though used for the Bradford District only). Bradford Interchange has since changed radically with bus and coach facilities on a single terminal and half the site taken up by offices. The railway station has changed little apart from the buffet bar which is a crew change room for First West Yorkshire. The depot has since closed and is now a bingo hall.
Also worth reading: GMPTE’s brochure on Hyde bus station (2005) or Bury Interchange (Greater Manchester Transport, 1980).
The typical bus, rail or tram timetable details its times by means of the 24 hour clock with the times being read from top to bottom. Exceptions to this rule included Trent Barton and Merseytravel PTE who chose the 12 hour clock. The latter decided to display their times from left to right. A Southport to Liverpool service would see Bootle Oriel Street at the centre right of the timetable rather than near the bottom. Another detail was that am and pm times were shaded in different colours. In recent years, Merseytravel have opted for standard top to bottom timetables with the 24 hour clock. Their previous layout, though unusual in the UK is common practice in the USA.
Also worth reading: any USA based transit authority’s timetable/schedule.
For my final transport literary classic, I recommend the New York Metro’s transit map. Designed in 1972, it has formed the template for most modern day transport maps, though its roots lie in the older London Underground map. The difference is that the diagonal lines are presented in a 45° angle and without the softer curves. Even in 2008, the design remains timeless. The New York Metro has (sadly) disposed of the 1972 design, with its Helvetica typeface – which no doubt inspired Greater Manchester Transport in 1974.
Also worth reading: any British Rail/National Rail map since the early 1980s. I especially recommend the 1989 Network Northwest map due to its closeness to the New York Metro – before they thought of copying Henry Beck’s London Underground map.
S.V., 29 April 2009
If Manchester Votes ‘No’ To £3 Billion Transport Plan, Will The Last Person To Leave Deansgate Allow Extra Time For Their Journey? Read the rest of this entry »
Why would you want to say ‘no’ to £3 billion Investment in public transport for the Greater Manchester area and stick with the same old congestion, packed trains, older buses and sardine-like trams?
The next few weeks Read the rest of this entry »
Ten buses reviewed and the best places to sit on board
In nearly 30 years of travelling around Greater Manchester by bus from babe in arms to full fare paying passenger I have boarded more than my fair share of GMT standard buses from Leyland Atlanteans to Dennis Dominators. Read the rest of this entry »
387 (Ashton – Hyde via Hattersley) bus service guaranteed till July 2009
Following fears that the 387 route was going to withdrawn, GMPTE has stepped in to save the people of Godley from being in a bus-free zone. Read the rest of this entry »
Most often than not, the very two words ’service changes’ fill me with dread. Thankfully not this time.
With the summer season ending in the Peak District, the Tameside area often gets four sets of service changes from Stagecoach alone. In addition to those affecting Manchester routes, Tameside’s are also affected by revisions affecting Glossop and Peak District routes at the beginning of and at the end of the summer season.
For probably the first time ever, the King Street and Boyd’s Walk area of Dukinfield will have a direct link with Mossley on Monday – Saturdays. Between the Albion Hotel and Mossley (Brookbottom), this will augment Speedwell’s 343 service. This is the knock on effect caused by the withdrawal of Mayne’s routes 232 – 235. Mossley passengers travelling into to Manchester by bus will take the 217 in a clockwise direction, with the 218 moving anti-clockwise.
Sunday services on the 220 will be renumbered 217 on journeys to Manchester from Stalybridge and 218 on journeys out of Manchester into Stalybridge and follow the route of the present 218 service. The present 217 Sunday service to Tameside Hospital will see westbound journeys renumbered as the 218.
The Littlemoss and Smallshaw sections of the 232 – 235 routes will be served by an upgraded 231, with a 15 minute daytime frequency between Ashton – Manchester – and buses running every 7/8 minutes in the weekday peaks. This will also replace the whole 230 route operated by Stagecoach.
The revisions also end an embarrassing gap in service provision in Dukinfield where there is at present a 4 hour gap between direct Manchester buses (1515 – 1915 from the Albion Hotel). However, there are some gripes with the changes, in that a more direct link with Tameside Hospital has been severed, and that there is no longer a journey between 0830 and 1012 to Stalybridge from Dukinfield (Albion Hotel).
Though less of a gripe (and of surprise) evening services on the 236/237 will terminate at Ashton, with extra journeys on the 216 taking over. I was also relieved to find that the 236/237 will still run to and from Manchester in the peak hours.
All other services are unaffected, thus meaning the evening 217 (Speedwell), evening 220 and 230 journeys (both First Manchester) will run as normal. The new 217/218 will also augment the extra peak hour journeys on the 220 and 221, also operated by Stagecoach Manchester.
S.V., 03 October 2008.
Having focused on the things I have most missed about buses in the Greater Manchester area, this topic focuses on the things which nark me off the most. Read the rest of this entry »
Plans for new cross-city bus network proposed under Transport Innovation Fund
Unless you have had your head buried in the sand, Manchester was the successful bidder for the Government’s Transport Innovation Fund. This would Read the rest of this entry »
“Pick You Up Tomorrow As Usual”
Today’s bus operations in Greater Manchester are dominated by the big three companies, Arriva, FirstGroup and Stagecoach. As with the local shopping centres, the clone town scenario is also true of bus operations outside London. Read the rest of this entry »
How the local bus (almost) saved me from commuting worries
In the last two weeks, most of us UK residents will have known about the flood affecting the North West and Yorkshire areas. This has obviously had a profound effect on the railways within Lancashire and Yorkshire Read the rest of this entry »
The good, the downright obvious and the ugly
Bus and rail fare squabblefest
Can’t you tell that the New Year has started already? Two days into the year, our blessed transport companies let New Year in by issuing a 5 – 15% fares increase on its passengers. Read the rest of this entry »
Christmas is coming, repeats are fast looming, as people in Argos are still queueing and awaiting their number – some twenty minutes later…
As eventual as death and taxation, the terrestrial television will face another repetition of Bonds from Moore to Dalton, and furniture adverts. Read the rest of this entry »
As stated on the Stagecoach Manchester website and in today’s Manchester Evening News, the proposed stoppages on the 27th and the 29th November have been postponed. Instead, there will be a second ballot on Tuesday 27th November over a revised pay deal.
Should drivers agree to the revised offer, then the strikes on the 29th November, and the four days in December will be called off.
Confirmed in today’s [23 November 2007] Read the rest of this entry »
Service changes, September 2007
One happy accident of Stagecoach in Manchester’s September service revisions has been the restoration of a link between Stalybridge and Stockport. Read the rest of this entry »
15 April 2007 Service Changes, Greater Manchester
The changes to the 343, as per the previous post has been confirmed by the GMPTE website.
Its sister service, the 344 will also be operated by Speedwell Travel. This service comprises of one journey from Oldham to Hyde, via Waterhead (unlike the other long withdrawn 344, Hyde – Mossley service via Staley Road). Read the rest of this entry »
Speedwell Travel to run daytime 343 service
It was announced in this week’s Tameside Advertiser that the daytime 343 service will continue to after the 15 April 2007.
As stated elsewhere within this blog, Read the rest of this entry »
Manchester Evening News, 20 March 2007
Over the last fortnight, 1,000 people were interviewed in a telephone poll over congestion charging via the Manchester Evening News. The 21 March edition stated that just under two thirds of those polled were against this. However 59% stated they agreed with congestion charging – if the money was channelled towards Metrolink expansion.
For the Tameside area, just over two thirds of people were against congestion charging. 63% were in favour of this, if the money was channelled towards the Metrolink. Of the people polled, 41% travelled by car or motorbike, and 35% used public transport. Of the ten districts which make up the Greater Manchester area, Tameside people were the biggest public transport users in the survey. The most popular form of public transport was the train, with 44% of the poll. In second place was the bus.
Much noise has been made against the congestion charges over the last three months, with the implication it may have for the local economy. The greatest concern has been the number of people expecting to shop outside the proposed zone (could Glossop and Sheffield benefit?). Another has been the cost – which is something that should be taken to account (I stress this given that Tameside based employees have the lowest wages in Greater Manchester).
As a public transport user, I support the idea of congestion charging, but… (and I mean but) further investment in buses, trains and the Metrolink must be made – as stressed by the conditions made by central government. If no further investment is made, I will therefore renege on this opinion.
For the greater good, I suggest that:
No congestion charging should take place without the public ownership of local bus and rail services.
In other words, I advocate the return of Greater Manchester Transport or SHMD, or the imposition of a London style franchising system. How can central government stick to its policies properly if bus operators outside London can do anything they like with their services (see my previous post on the 343 route)?
S.V., 22/03/2007
An EXCLUSIVE from East of the M60
From the 15th April 2007, First Manchester’s 343 service from Oldham to Hyde will see the withdrawal of its commercially operated journeys. This will not be the complete end of the service, as subsidised journeys in evenings, Sundays and Bank Holiday will continue.
I can reveal that GMPTE will be discussing the alternatives during a planning meeting, which will take place on Friday 23rd March 2007 in Manchester town hall. This meeting will discuss alternatives to fill the gap, which would leave Dukinfield bus users without a direct link to Mossley for the first time since 1904 for most part of the day. The 343 is one of six services in Greater Manchester under threat from the company’s April service revisions (the others include the 387 Ashton – Stalybridge – Newton – Hyde route).
Should the gap be left unfilled, this would mean greatly extended journey times. For example, a journey from Mossley to Grotton (five to ten minutes on the 343) would be three times longer, allowing for a change at Grasscroft, Greenfield or Uppermill. Rail passengers in the Dukinfield area, who use Flowery Field station would be expected to walk, or board the 346 for Newton instead of Flowery Field.
More will be revealed within this blog nearer the time of its proposed withdrawal.
Manchester to become the second city outside London to introduce congestion charging
Manchester Evening News, 24 January 2007
Don’t panic, this is not the current peak return train fare from Stalybridge or Bolton to Manchester. This is the projected rate of the Congestion Charge, which will be imposed on the 15 most busiest road corridors in the Greater Manchester area.
Affected within the area east of the M60 motorway will be: Rochdale Road (A664); Oldham Road (A62); Ashton Old Road (A635); Hyde Road (A57) and Stockport Road (A6). Previous plans involved placing the congestion charge zone inside the M60 motorway. Zones have been selected on a road basis – and quite rightly – the roads affected sport frequent bus services. Each driver will pay £3.00 within each corridor zone. It was stated that income from the charges will go toward improving public transport.
On the online poll, so far, some 78% are opposed to congestion charges in Greater Manchester.
I beg to differ. Since 2003, I have favoured the use of congestion charges, so long as there were tangible improvements to our bus and rail networks (and I speak from experience as a bus user). At present, Manchester’s deregulated buses and privatised trains have put a sizeable number of Mancunians off most forms of public transport for life. Learning to drive is seen as a rite of passage along with christenings, weddings and birthdays.
Congestion Charging should be imposed on condition that:
The latter point is an unashamed dig at the school run, which accounts for 20% of UK road traffic on a normal weekday. I can speak from experience, having noticed a saving of 10 – 15 minutes on a seven mile bus journey in the peak period of school holiday times, compared with school days. Within this point, I feel that:
Assuming that a fair number of schoolchildren are chauffeured to their nearest school, how would they learn to use public transport independently? How would they know how to behave on bus or train route, or how to purchase tickets? How would they be able to read a timetable? In doing this, we are denying children basic life skills, required for travel to and from work, leisure activities and respect. With the latter point, I use the term ‘respect’ in the context of personal space on buses; cooperating with railway guards; giving up seats for elderly persons, and queueing.
As a country, we need to get our priorities right regarding public and personal transport. Firstly, the cost of motoring has been allowed to stay constant since 1970, whilst public transport fares have increased by 95% upwards since 1986. Secondly, we need to see a change in perception of ’successful public transport’ networks. At present, a profitable network is seen by some as a success, rather than one where connections are coordinated and fares are subsidised. Thirdly, we need to integrate planning with transport provision more. Compare the car friendly retail parks with the bus friendly town centres.
Can we do it?
Or ‘Why is a single from Stalybridge to Dukinfield four times the price per mile as one from Manchester to London?’
Death and taxation are often stated as a main inevitability of life in dear old Blighty. What is never mentioned are that annual transport fare increases are another one.
Much noise has been made over the rail fare increases on the 2nd January this year. Several sources have stated that train travel will become a middle class pursuit.
Think again.
A lot of noise has been made over a fare from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston costing £219 (second class). That is 34p per mile.
In my area, 34p a mile on my local bus routes would be a fares cut instead of an increase. A single fare journey from Dukinfield (Morrisons) to Stalybridge (Armentieres Square) on one route will cost £1.40 as of the 14th January this year. The distance? About one mile; that is four standard (non discounted) fares from London to Manchester per mile! Over the same distance, a taxi fare on the daytime Tariff 1 of one local private hire taxi firm would cost approximately £3.50 (for four people). The bus alternative: £5.60 for four people, with a saving of £2.10 for the same party, in a taxi.
Though rail fare increases attract the greatest criticism in the national newspapers, the bus user outside of Greater London is forgotten. I would love a 5% increase on bus fares rather than a 10% one. Better still, I would like a swingeing fares cut to 1986 levels and properly subsidised transport.
Bus fares in Greater Manchester have increased by 10% year on year since 1986. Though this may have seemed realistic in 1990, when inflation was in double digit figures, this is by no means a joke, now that UK 2007 inflation figures are 3.6%.
If you live within the Greater Manchester area, and if you can afford it, I strongly recommend buying one of the System One season tickets – or the company’s own season tickets. If, like myself, you work in the centre of Manchester, think of how much you will save on single fares to the city – and use your pass for the short distance journeys which would otherwise cost you next to millions. If you have the legs, and your journey’s a short distance, use a form of transport which has had unparalleled reliability since Adam and Eve or the Big Bang.
Foot/Shank’s Pony/Walking.
A (much belated) Happy New Year to all readers of ‘East of the M60′,
Stuart.
It was supposed to have improved services through competition. There was even talk of drivers owning their own buses. Even fare levels were supposed to have fallen, as power moved from the monolithic PTEs and the National Bus Company to the little.
How wrong they were, and how right were Greater Manchester PTE nearly 20 years ago.
Between 1986 – 1993, there was plenty of competition between GM Buses (then a publicly owned Limited company) and the likes of Citibus, Bee Line Buzz Company and other PTE companies. Thirteen years later, we have now seen bus ownership in the UK concentrated between three major companies. As for drivers being owner occupiers of their own vehicles, this never happened. So much for competition and added choice.
Of course, there were some improvements to services, with some operators running minibus services via streets that tested the bigger buses. However, most of these improvements have been undone by rationalisation of evening and Sunday services or withdrawal. Most of the investment in new buses have been designated to profitable routes like the 135, 216 and the 192. It has also become commonplace for other routes to receive older buses, with many being step entrance rather than low floor.
Fare levels have actually increased rather than fell since 1986, except in some cases. The exceptions to this rule are Stagecoach’s ‘Magic Bus’ and ‘Megabus’ service. A shift towards bought on the bus season tickets has seen increased boarding times and longer journeys. One example of this increase is a nine stage fare on the 346 (Ashton – Hyde – Gee Cross), which has increased from 30p under Greater Manchester Transport to £1.50 under Stagecoach Manchester (or £1.30 on First Pioneer).
Rather than increased services, bus deregulation has seen strategically important routes withdrawn. Examples of these are the 400 (Trans-Lancs Express), 562 (Oldham – Halifax) and the 153 (Manchester – Mossley). Only the Wilmslow Road and A6 corridors have seen an increase, with a staggering 30 buses an hour. In the Tameside area, there are few services with 30 buses a day each way.
Over the last two weeks, the Wilmslow Road corridor has become the subject of controversy over competition on the 85/86 routes to Chorlton. This has resulted in Metrolink trams being blocked in Mosley Street, people cutting their journeys short and walking the rest of the journey. There has been some good news over a leaked memo, stating that the buses will be reregulated within two years. This was revealed in the Manchester Evening News (13/09/2006 edition):
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/223/223028_bus_wars_get_it_sorted.html
The article is also an indictment of how the then Conservative government forced Greater Manchester, other PTEs and local councils to disintegrate in several weeks an integrated and affordable transport system which has served Britain for the best part of fifty years.
Though there has been improvements in information, through ticketing and integration in the last five years, these have come too late to avert a 45% drop in patronage since Sunday 26th October 1986.
Franchising should involve: participation in timetable compilation between councils and bus users; a long term goal towards a standardised bus design; minimum passenger service requirements (including full Bank Holiday services) and a standard livery.
This should be the case in Greater Manchester and the other PTE areas, notably South Yorkshire, where fares have gone from being the cheapest to being more expensive than Greater Manchester’s.
In Greater Manchester, the future was, is, and remains white, orange and brown.
Dogged by rain, the Trans-Lancs Vehicle Rally in Heaton Park did not fail to disappoint.
In the sort of weather which sailors wouldn’t have dreamed of sailing on, there was a good turnout of modern and classic buses. As usual, there was representation from the GM Buses Group, the SELNEC Preservation Society and the Yelloway Museum (an AEC Reliance coach). As usual were the exhibits and the volunteers of the Greater Manchester Transport Society, who like myself braved the treacherous weather conditions.
Also present was the last Dennis Dominator to be ran by First South Yorkshire, in FirstGroup Barbie livery, and Stagecoach Manchester’s latest Alexander Dennis double decker. The latter example is one of a handful designated for the Hazel Grove – Manchester 192 service.
Due to the inclement weather, only half the memorabilia stalls were open. The handful of which were open included Glossop’s very own Venture Publications. As well as the stallholders, few people took up the option to use the fairground rides, which were playing better music than some local radio stations.
Despite the weather, there was a good turnout of buses, cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles.
Next year, I shall bring my wellies, or hope the sun will be present in 2007.
From several years experience of using public transport, I have come across the most sublime and the ridiculous bus termini throughout the UK.
My favourite bus stations are in Huddersfield, Hyde, Leeds, Middleton (the new one near the Arches shopping centre), Chorley and Bury Interchange. Though the latter is rather mediocre, Bury Interchange holds a special place being the point of interchange between the late lamented 400 Trans-Lancs Express service and the East Lancashire Railway. Huddersfield is one of my favourite bus stations owned by Metro West Yorkshire PTE, using a single terminal layout, due to the complex being well lit and ventilated. My other reason for favouring this terminus is real time information. Though common in West Yorkshire bus stations, Greater Manchester is light years behind (other than the odd installation on Quality Bus Corridors).
Sadly, the purpose of this post is not for praising the best bus stations. This concentrates on the hell holes, the vandalised and forgotten. My candidates for Bus Stations from Hell include:
Here are the not so magnificent seven bus stations. I would be happy to hear your comments or further additions to this hall of shame.
Stuart Vallantine
