Historic football bus services in Manchester

[Shaw S Hunter]

Mod note: split from https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...duce-trial-services-to-etihad-stadium.262499/

Those with long memories will know that this is not a completely new idea. Prior to Deregulation GMT used to operate various football buses for both clubs' home matches though I don't think there were quite so many that went as far as some of the new ones. And the main priority was to provide direct services between Piccadilly/Victoria and the grounds as well as additional journeys on the inner orbital 53 route which more or less served both grounds (City were still at Maine Road of course). I remember by the mid 1980s these services were the most likely way to see GMT's Mancunians operating services on a Saturday: presumably the intention now is definitely not to turn out the oldest buses for these services!

 

[Whisky Papa]

Those with long memories will know that this is not a completely new idea. Prior to Deregulation GMT used to operate various football buses for both clubs' home matches though I don't think there were quite so many that went as far as some of the new ones. And the main priority was to provide direct services between Piccadilly/Victoria and the grounds as well as additional journeys on the inner orbital 53 route which more or less served both grounds (City were still at Maine Road of course). I remember by the mid 1980s these services were the most likely way to see GMT's Mancunians operating services on a Saturday: presumably the intention now is definitely not to turn out the oldest buses for these services!

The city-centre departure point for both grounds was Aytoun Street, which I'm pretty sure was one-way into Portland Street at the time and now buried beneath the Metrolink tracks. I don't think any ran to/from Victoria. The Maine Road ones ran as service 76 to Lloyd Street, I'm struggling to remember what number the Old Trafford ones used - odd, as I did conduct one of them for an evening match at Old Trafford. I think they were double-crewed, although the routes from outlying areas may not have been. For weekday evening matches, the all-night crews often worked them as overtime before their shift started.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

The city-centre departure point for both grounds was Aytoun Street, which I'm pretty sure was one-way into Portland Street at the time and now buried beneath the Metrolink tracks. I don't think any ran to/from Victoria. The Maine Road ones ran as service 76 to Lloyd Street, I'm struggling to remember what number the Old Trafford ones used - odd, as I did conduct one of them for an evening match at Old Trafford. I think they were double-crewed, although the routes from outlying areas may not have been. For weekday evening matches, the all-night crews often worked them as overtime before their shift started.

On reflection you are quite right. The services from/to the railway stations were effectively "police specials" provided for visiting fans of certain clubs whose segregation from the locals was deemed necessary. It would also explain the regular use of the oldest vehicles since the risk of vandalism was thought to be high. As to the Old Trafford specials from the city I would suggest service number 94 would have been the most appropriate.

 

[Springs Branch]

On reflection you are quite right. The services from/to the railway stations were effectively "police specials" provided for visiting fans of certain clubs whose segregation from the locals was deemed necessary. It would also explain the regular use of the oldest vehicles since the risk of vandalism was thought to be high.

We've touched on this 'welcoming service' for visiting fans (as mentioned, laid on presumably at the request of Greater Manchester's Finest) in the past on these forums - in connection with the 'back entrance' to the old Manchester Victoria.

Basically, BR football special pulled in to one of Victoria's high-numbered platforms & disgorging supporters were marshalled directly out of the station via the obscure entrance onto New Bridge Street, where a line of buses would be standing by to convey them directly to the ground. No opportunity for a refreshing pint or three in a city centre hostelry, or a 'bit of banter' with the locals along the way.

At the time, member @jp4712 posted a 1983-vintage photo showing just such a line-up of buses, with several Mancunians in the limelight.


Greater Manchester 1123, New Bridge St, April 1983 by Paul Williams, on Flickr

Image shows ten GMT buses in line on New Bridge Street, Manchester, awaiting arrival of a football special into Manchester Victoria

 

[jp4712]

Indeed I did! I remember taking the photo, it looks very different at that location now. Bus number 4 in the line is an almost-new ’Alloy Standard’, I can imagine the depot foreman would’ve held his breath waiting to see what state that one arrived back in. At the time I’d arrive by train to do volunteering at the Museum of Transport a mile up Cheetham Hill Road, and I’d use the back entrance in New Bridge Street as it saved a few yards.

 

[northwichcat]

Basically, BR football special pulled in to one of Victoria's high-numbered platforms & disgorging supporters were marshalled directly out of the station via the obscure entrance onto New Bridge Street, where a line of buses would be standing by to convey them directly to the ground. No opportunity for a refreshing pint or three in a city centre hostelry, or a 'bit of banter' with the locals along the way.

Positive there is you're in an unfamiliar place and people are guiding you to where you need to be. Although, I wouldn't like to be refused the opportunity to buy lunch or a drink somewhere before getting to the ground, and it wouldn't have boasted local business. It mustn't have helped the bad reputation football fans got.

 

[Whisky Papa]

We've touched on this 'welcoming service' for visiting fans (as mentioned, laid on presumably at the request of Greater Manchester's Finest) in the past on these forums - in connection with the 'back entrance' to the old Manchester Victoria.

Basically, BR football special pulled in to one of Victoria's high-numbered platforms & disgorging supporters were marshalled directly out of the station via the obscure entrance onto New Bridge Street, where a line of buses would be standing by to convey them directly to the ground. No opportunity for a refreshing pint or three in a city centre hostelry, or a 'bit of banter' with the locals along the way.

At the time, member @jp4712 posted a 1983-vintage photo showing just such a line-up of buses, with several Mancunians in the limelight.


Greater Manchester 1123, New Bridge St, April 1983 by Paul Williams, on Flickr

Thanks for the clarification - I'd not really been aware of this side of the operation (or maybe have long forgotten!). All the football buses were organised at garage level rather than through the Schedules Offices - in fact, there was a hell of a row one year when it was discovered that one garage had offset all the extra mileage from football specials against the figure for lost mileage due to staff shortage etc, which made it look much more acceptable!

The one night I worked a football special to Old Trafford we did actually end up taking a load of Aberdeen fans back to Victoria under police supervision (Martin Buchan's testimonial, for those interested). We had gone back to Old Trafford for a second trip, but the inspector told us to return empty to Princess Road garage. We were then flagged down by a second inspector, who asked if we would report to the stop opposite the then Old Trafford station (Trafford Bar Metrolink now) where the police had a group of fans who had been walking back into the city centre blocked in by mounted officers. They were 'encouraged' onto our bus by the mounted officers, and in fairness were no problem at all once on board.

The one other occasion Victoria came into play was a night when another of my office colleagues and I had volunteered for a full late shift on the 101 and 105 on Princess Parkway, completely unaware that Liverpool and Everton were replaying the League Cup final at Maine Road! It all went reasonably well until our last trip into town, where again we were asked to pick up a large number of mixed fans. A lot of the football specials had been bricked by local idiots, apparently. No problem with the fans on the bus beyond opening the upstairs emergency door at one point, and my driver decided to take them on to Victoria station while I jumped off in Piccadilly to tell the inspector what he had done, and that we might be a minute or two late for our 2300 departure back to Wythenshawe.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

The city-centre departure point for both grounds was Aytoun Street, which I'm pretty sure was one-way into Portland Street at the time and now buried beneath the Metrolink tracks. I don't think any ran to/from Victoria. The Maine Road ones ran as service 76 to Lloyd Street, I'm struggling to remember what number the Old Trafford ones used - odd, as I did conduct one of them for an evening match at Old Trafford.

Fairly sure the Aytoun Street -> Old Trafford matchday buses in Manchester might have been numbered 63x.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

Fairly sure the Aytoun Street -> Old Trafford matchday buses in Manchester might have been numbered 63x.

A quick search of Flickr confirms that they were indeed 63x, then later 263x.

 

[Springs Branch]

A quick search of Flickr confirms that they were indeed 63x, then later 263x.

Additional to Flickr, there's an interesting 1979 pic of a LH-allocated ex-Leigh Corporation AEC Renown on football duty in Aytoun Street:-

• http://www.sct61.org.uk/lh36

The Mancunian behind most likely is showing 263X and 'Match' on its blinds, but the poor old Leigh bus doesn't seem capable of either.

I think they were double-crewed, although the routes from outlying areas may not have been.
For weekday evening matches, the all-night crews often worked them as overtime before their shift started.

I saw these football buses in action on a couple of occasions in the late '70s. Both times were after the match, as a procession of full-to-the-brim specials unloaded in the Piccadilly Gardens area just as my mate and I were heading home from an afternoon's train spotting.

This was towards the height of rampant football hooliganism, and both of us were very apprehensive on seeing the crowds of supporters suddenly appearing all around us that we might become easy targets. In the event, there were no problems or threats to us at all, nor any sign of trouble or damage on the buses. Despite their reputation at the time, the fans could just as easily have been busloads of factory workers arriving from Trafford Park at the end of a shift.

Anyhow, one observation from that time (once I'd realised I wouldn't get beaten up) was that these football buses all seemed to be crew-operated.

By this time most GMT services worked from the ex-Manchester garages had converted to OPO (less so the Salford routes), and it seemed odd to be employing two-man crews on Saturdays for what would be, in most cases, one trip out to Old Trafford / Maine Rd and one trip back to the city. Certainly, the vehicles I saw tended to be at the elderly end of the spectrum (scruffy Mancunians & scruffier 4xxx-series Daimlers) but they were all equipped for OPO.

Maybe it was some union stipulation to have 'safety in numbers' on riskier duties? A bit like the way Manchester's all-night buses were all double-crewed right up until deregulation.

 

[Whisky Papa]

Additional to Flickr, there's an interesting 1979 pic of a LH-allocated ex-Leigh Corporation AEC Renown on football duty in Aytoun Street:-

• http://www.sct61.org.uk/lh36

The Mancunian behind most likely is showing 263X and 'Match' on its blinds, but the poor old Leigh bus doesn't seem capable of either.


I saw these football buses in action on a couple of occasions in the late '70s. Both times were after the match, as a procession of full-to-the-brim specials unloaded in the Piccadilly Gardens area just as my mate and I were heading home from an afternoon's train spotting.

This was towards the height of rampant football hooliganism, and both of us were very apprehensive on seeing the crowds of supporters suddenly appearing all around us that we might become easy targets. In the event, there were no problems or threats to us at all, nor any sign of trouble or damage on the buses. Despite their reputation at the time, the fans could just as easily have been busloads of factory workers arriving from Trafford Park at the end of a shift.

Anyhow, one observation from that time (once I'd realised I wouldn't get beaten up) was that these football buses all seemed to be crew-operated.

By this time most GMT services worked from the ex-Manchester garages had converted to OPO (less so the Salford routes), and it seemed odd to be employing two-man crews on Saturdays for what would be, in most cases, one trip out to Old Trafford / Maine Rd and one trip back to the city. Certainly, the vehicles I saw tended to be at the elderly end of the spectrum (scruffy Mancunians & scruffier 4xxx-series Daimlers) but they were all equipped for OPO.

Maybe it was some union stipulation to have 'safety in numbers' on riskier duties? A bit like the way Manchester's all-night buses were all double-crewed right up until deregulation.

I'm wondering if ithe Leigh bus may have been operating a football service to Leigh rather than into Manchester city centre? There certainly were football specials from other parts of Manchester and surrounds, although sadly I have no record of them. I think union sensibilities might have prevented an 'outside' depot running on the 263x, but I'm open to correction.

Regarding crew operation, I believe it was partly for safety reasons as you suggest, and partly for speed of loading. The inspectors at either end would simply count a busload on and the conductor then had pretty much the length of the journey to get as many fares as possible. Incidentally, the use of 263x makes me assume they followed the normal 263 route via City Road, rather than going straight along Chester Road - I really can't remember from the one occasion I conducted one.

This compares with the later OPO UK North services which only (officially) ran after the match. In my experience of driving them, fans were coming in dribs and drabs and could be loaded reasonably quickly, plus very their noisy 'inspectors' - think fairground barkers - had already told them the fare. Usually they had eight deckers, four in the layby south of Warwick Road and four at the stop just to the north of it. Of course, by now the Metrolink provided a better alternative than back in the GMT days.

 

[Citibus]

I'm wondering if ithe Leigh bus may have been operating a football service to Leigh rather than into Manchester city centre? There certainly were football specials from other parts of Manchester and surrounds, although sadly I have no record of them. I think union sensibilities might have prevented an 'outside' depot running on the 263x, but I'm open to correction.

26 Leigh - Manchester had additional buses to Old Trafford with the destination "Match" for many years. The service terminated at nearby White City until that became developed with retail parks losing the bus standing areas in the process.

example from 1993 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fSM4RQWFGAE_uJHYvE88zxfYMPCa6JcD/view?usp=sharing

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Page 3 of the above pdf attachment in post #12 details the timings for the matchday buses from/back to Leigh.

 

[M60lad]

Considering Mike Dunstan is a City Fan himself I remember when he ran Bluebird there were a number of his routes that used to have variations that would run to the ground on Match Days.