Oldham and Saddleworth Bus Service Changes, Autumn 2018

School day times are back up town

Back to school: school days times will be reinstated on the 409 and other key routes in Oldham and Saddleworth.

For many Oldham and Saddleworth passengers, this autumn’s timetable changes affect seasonal timetables. Yes, as the nights get longer, the school day times are back on the agenda.

Tameside and Glossop Bus Service Changes, Autumn 2018

Timetables revert to schoolday times

System Restore: timetables revert to pre-School Holiday times.

Throughout the borough, most of this autumn’s service changes entail the reversion of summer timetables to schooldays timetables. For once, a fairly quiet autumn.

First Greater Manchester Goes Contactless

New Ticketer machines ushers in start of contactless travel on First Greater Manchester routes

In line with other FirstGroup subsidiaries across the UK, contactless payments will be available on First Greater Manchester bus routes. From the first weekend in September, all First buses will be able to accept contactless credit and debit cards as a payment option.

Now You Know What I Did This Summer: Weston-super-Mare’s Bus Routes

A look at present-day bus operations in Weston-super-Mare

Virtual Monopoly: First Bristol, Bath and The West run most of Weston-super-Mare’s bus routes. Seen here is the decaying yet iconic Birnbeck Pier with an open-top bus on the 1 seafront service to Weston.

Thanks to the wonders of S.S. Great Britain, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and the West Somerset Railway, yours truly returned to Weston-super-Mare. Which of course explains my recent absence of posts on East of the M60. 

Oldham and Saddleworth Bus Service Changes, Summer 2018

More summertime tweaks

• Exactly what it says on the tin;
• MCT Travel gains 418 from M Travel;
• CityZap zapped.

The 409: one of a few First Greater Manchester services falling under the summertime timetables. This oldie, seen at Royton, was previously owned by First Bradford.

Once again the summertime changes are a quiet one for Oldham and Saddleworth bus passengers. Apart from the usual adjusted summer times, there has only been four notable service changes.

Tameside and Glossop Bus Service Changes, Summer 2018

All the usual summertime tweaks

• Waterton Lane link severed to improve reliability of 353 and 354 service;
• Summertime bus times in operation on First Greater Manchester and Stagecoach Manchester routes;
• Slight tweaks to some tendered services.

Retimed? the 340, alongside other Stagecoach journeys operated from Middleton depot, is down as retimed on the Stagecoach Manchester website. In fact, there are no differences to the timetable seen in TfGM’s Bus Guide on the 340 and 343 routes.

The summertime changes are usually quieter than the spring and autumn service changes. This summer’s no exception with the bulk of changes being the adoption of School Holiday Timetables.

Introducing the Saddleworth Rambler: Nexus Move’s New 356 Service

A look at Saddleworth’s exciting new shuttle service

On Monday 09 April 2018, Andy Buckley and David Littlewood opened another chapter in the history of Saddleworth bus operation. From the turning circle in Denshaw, David Littlewood was Nexus Move’s first passenger aboard the new 356 service to Uppermill and Greenfield. He was chauffeured to his destination by Andy Buckley in a silver 67-reg Volkswagen minibus.

In Pictures: The Last Days of Mercedes Citaro Operation in Tameside and Oldham

A fond farewell to First Greater Manchester’s longest serving single decker buses

Today [31 March 2018] marked the end of an era in First Greater Manchester’s 22-year history of bus operation. Their Mercedes Citaro single decker buses have been retired from revenue earning service. A popular sight in mainland Europe, the Mercedes Citaro bus has had a mixed reaction on these shores. They are seen as the bus equivalent of the ‘Burning Bush’ valve radio due to their combustibility.

Oldham and Saddleworth Bus Service Changes Extra (Spring 2018)

Further bus service changes and retimings which affect Oldham and Saddleworth passengers

A Mercedes Citaro on the 425 service to Fitton Hill, seen loading at Oldham bus station.

Since our little look at the future shape of Oldham’s and Saddleworth’s bus routes, a few more changes have been announced in the last fortnight. We now know more about the 59’s early morning journeys. Once again there are changes in store for the 408 route (no change there, then).

Like the Tameside and Glossop addendum, please treat this one as a companion to our more comprehensive bulletin (published on 07 March 2018).