Category: FirstGroup
An Easter Surprise for Oldham Schoolchildren
New Optare Versas set to whisk Oldham schoolchildren to class in style
New to Oldham Depot: First Manchester/TfGM Optare Versas. (Photo by Bungle666)
An easter egg in the form of new hybrid vehicles will be heading towards Oldham and Tameside. First Manchester has received a number of low carbon Optare Versas for TfGM’s Yellow School Bus services. Each vehicle will seat 57 pupils, the equivalent of two form groups including three teachers.
Rear view of Optare Versa. (Photo by Bungle666)
Everything’s Gone Green – in Dukinfield!
I can confirm that Dukinfield garage’s latest batch of hybrid Optare Solo SRs will be operational from the 15 April. The lucky recipients of these new vehicles will be passengers of the 41 route from Crowhill to Ashton-under-Lyne and Dukinfield (Tennyson Avenue). They will also be seen on the 419 route from Middleton to Ashton-under-Lyne. The new Solos will be allocated FirstGroup national fleet numbers 59010, 59011 and 59014 to 59016.
First’s new buses are part-funded by Transport for Greater Manchester via the Green Bus Fund and will be seen in TfGM’s yellow and green liveries respectively.
S.V., 06 April 2012.
Kind thanks go to Alan Siddall (Bungle666) for supplying the photographs.
Past of the M60 In Pictures: Celebrating the 400 Trans-Lancs Express
A special feature to commemorate the 400th post on East of the M60.
'Roll up for the mystery tour, step right this way...' Image © 1972 SELNEC PTE
East of the M60 is nearly 6 years old and now 400 posts old. To celebrate this milestone, I have before your eyes a special Past of the M60 feature on the dearly departed yet much loved 400 route from Bolton to Stockport and Manchester Airport.
Sit back, relax, and take your position in one of these comfy dual purpose seats on an imaginary Northern Counties bodied MCW Metrobus. Continue reading
In Pictures: FirstGroup Liveries in Greater Manchester Through the Ages
A photographic journey of the many variations of FirstBus/FirstGroup liveries in Greater Manchester
Though the last week has seen First Manchester being reprimanded by Beverley Bell, the timing of FirstGroup’s new livery may be seen by some critics as a way to bury bad news. In the last week, I have seen one example in Ashton bus station on the 409 route. In my eyes, it was no great change on the ubiquitous Barbie livery, apart from the fact that 45˚ angle lines replaced the curved lines. Continue reading
New Operations Director Joins Stagecoach Manchester
Matt Davies flies south during Siberian winter, from Oldham to Ardwick
With 700 buses, almost 100 million passengers and two of the busiest bus corridors in the UK, Matt Davies took on the role as Operations Director for Stagecoach Manchester yesterday. He took his position at Hyde Road, following five and a half years in a similar role for First Manchester. Prior to joining First at Oldham depot, he spent eight years at Arriva North West, bringing more than 14 years’ experience at senior level.
Tameside Bus Service Changes, Winter 2012: First Take Over Denton Route
A mere tinkering about with changes to peak hour services and one operator change
- First Manchester gain 335 from JPT Travel;
- Minor peak hour timetable changes for 217 – 220 buses;
- Extra morning journeys on 216.
The bulk of 2012′s service changes involve peak hour timetable tweaks with Stagecoach Manchester’s services affected by this. Most of which affect services along the Ashton New Road and Ashton Old Road corridors. Continue reading
2011: My Year in the Company of Buses
East of the M60′s review of the year
2011 is one year which bus users and employees east of the M60 wouldn’t forget in a hurry. 25 years on from the start of bus deregulation, it was a tumultuous one dominated by changes to the concessionary fares system, service cuts in the High Peak and hybrid buses.
East of the M60 Advent Calendar: 24 December 2011
24. Taking the Long Way Home for Christmas
Step Entrance Survivors: First Manchester's Mercedes-Benz 0.405s. Image by Ingy the Wingy (Creative Commons Attribution License)
For our final window, we have a bus that has travelled quite a distance before getting to Greater Manchester at the start of the 21st century.
Ladies and Gentlemen, our last Advent Bus Associated Picture is P548 BSS, a Mercedes-Benz O.405 with the Optare Prisma style of bodywork. Built in 1997, these were among First Aberdeen’s standard vehicles, and quite beefy specimens they are too! Their high powered engines saw regular service on the Uppermill routes, some peak hour 343 journeys and the 562 from Oldham to Halifax. In recent times, they’ve been seen on the 24 route, a limited-stop service from Manchester to Rochdale.
East of the M60 Advent Calendar: 23 December 2011
23. The Bus to Big Buddha Is Watching You
Today's bus stations have come a long way from this example in Hong Kong. It has a whiff of 1950s Queenbury Shelter about. Photo by Ja-ee (Creative Commons Attribution License)
We ought to be thankful for the fact that our bus stations in Greater Manchester have better information displays than this. Route 23 is denoted by a laminated sheet of A4 paper. From a mile off, you can tell they’ve used Microsoft Word for this sign. Continue reading
East of the M60 Advent Calendar: 22 December 2011
22. A Preston Bus Eastern Coach Works bodied Leyland Olympian
Over the last 30 years, the Leyland Olympian has proved to be one of Leyland’s most enduring double decker vehicles. With the prototype originally conceived and built in Bristol (as a replacement for the Bristol VR), independent companies, PTE operators and the National Bus Company modernised their fleet with this vehicle. This example seen above was bodied by Eastern Coach Works in Lowestoft, Suffolk.
Besides the ubiquitous ECW bodied examples, Alexander bodied Olympians were for some time Stagecoach’s standard double decker. Greater Manchester Transport’s examples (bodied by Northern Counties, as you would expect) represented their second generation GMT Standard vehicle. GMT’s version outlived GMT and GM Buses itself by means of the Palatine and Palatine II style of body, which was seen in the latterly renamed Volvo Olympians till 1997. Some examples remain in service with First Manchester, primarily from Bury and Queens Road garages.
Bus Route of Christmas Past: Manchester Corporation’s Eccles – Levenshulme route. Starting at the Lloyd Road terminus, Levenshulme, this service took in Stretford and Urmston prior to reaching Eccles. It had a basic frequency of every 20 minutes with a 15 minute frequency during peak hours. In 1974 it was renumbered 262 with a second 22 taking over the 40/42 route, this time extended to Unsworth. Today’s 22, operated by First Manchester, runs every half hour and includes the former Manchester Corporation route in much extended form, with its southerly terminus in Stockport (via Burnage) and northerly terminus in Bolton (via Swinton and Farnworth).
Bus Route of Christmas Present: I could have opted for the Bolton to Stockport service as the soft option. Instead, I have chosen the BRoCPre is Preston’s 22 from the city centre to Royal Preston Hospital. The service runs every 12 minutes on Monday to Saturdays during the daytime, co-working with the 23.
S.V., 22 December 2011
East of the M60 Advent Calendar: 21 December 2011
21. An Oldham Corporation Roe bodied Leyland Titan PD2/20
The Leyland Titan PD2/20 was pretty much a part of late 1950s and early 1960s Oldham Corporation operations. Some survived well in to the SELNEC era.
Bus Route of Christmas Past: Chadderton – Oldham – Fitton Hill. By the late 1950s, the 21 took in the then new Fitton Hill estate. In 1973, it was renumbered 421; in 1986, whilst in that guise, the Chadderton (Whitegate Lane) terminus was changed, extended to Moston (Gardeners Arms). Today, the Moston – Oldham section of the 421 is now served by the 81 service from Manchester – Derker with Oldham – Fitton Hill served by an upgraded 425 service. To accommodate this, the 421 and its sister route, the 423, were withdrawn with the current replacement operating from Fitton Hill to Oldham and Holts Estate.
Bus Route of Christmas Present: appropriately for the shortest day of the year, I have chosen one of the shortest bus routes in Greater Manchester. Operated by Manchester Community Transport on Monday – Saturdays, and Go-Goodwins on Sundays, the 21 from Altrincham to Warburton Green takes 12 minutes to reach the two points. The Monday – Saturday route in full continues beyond Warburton Green to Timperley, taking 28 minutes. It also has one of the oddest service frequencies in Greater Manchester – every 68 minutes (the shorter Sunday service is every hour)!!!
S.V., 21 December 2011
