Manchester City and TfGM to introduce trial services to Etihad Stadium

[johncrossley]

There is a new network of dedicated buses to the Etihad stadium from across Greater Manchester (and a bit beyond) on matchdays. This is a trial until the end of the season.

The obvious joke here is that a similar network would be pointless for Old Trafford as those fans don't live locally! (I say this as a Man United fan - from London! )

https://www.mancity.com/news/club/new-bus-services-transport-for-greater-manchester-63842986

Manchester City is delighted to announce the trial of a large-scale bus network helping fans from across Greater Manchester to travel to and from the Etihad Stadium on a matchday.
The network of dedicated services will be operated and managed by Transport for Greater Manchester (TFGM) and the trial will start ahead of the Chelsea match on 17 February. The service will then continue to operate at every home match taking place at the Etihad Stadium until the end of the season.

By connecting fans across the region through a direct and reliable mode of travel, the new bus network will create a low-priced option for fans, making travelling to matches more efficient and increasingly sustainable.

In total, the bus network will see 17 different routes operating across 60 stops and cover a combined total of more than 340 miles.

These routes have been carefully selected following a detailed analysis of fan data which identified areas with limited existing travel options, or those with a dense population of Season Ticket Members.

 

[158756]

It's a good idea, the fare system isn't ideal though - £3/4 single £6/8 return (so obviously not part of any £2 fare scheme), tickets can only be bought on the bus, weekly/monthly tickets etc not valid.

They're also using a zonal fare system - could this be part of the thinking for regular bus services in future?

 

[tomoufc]

It's a good idea, the fare system isn't ideal though - £3/4 single £6/8 return (so obviously not part of any £2 fare scheme), tickets can only be bought on the bus, weekly/monthly tickets etc not valid.

They're also using a zonal fare system - could this be part of the thinking for regular bus services in future?

Yeah much as this is good to see, I think the fares are too high.

 

[Whisky Papa]

Yeah much as this is good to see, I think the fares are too high.

I would agree. Back in 2004/5 I often used to drive UK North's post-match specials from Old Trafford into central Manchester, which had a £2 fare, higher than parallel service buses but not many complained. Quite a lot were either away fans making their way back for a train, or United fans from other parts of the UK and beyond staying overnight in the city centre.

After a while, UK North tried a similar service in from the Etihad at a flat fare of £1, which again was higher than the service buses, and we got no end of grief! It didn't help that due to the traffic congestion, the bus was very little faster into Piccadilly than walking.

 

[Tim33160]

Transport for Greater Manchester and Manchester City are delighted to announce the launch of a large-scale bus trial helping fans from across Greater Manchester and nearby areas to travel to and from the Etihad Stadium on a matchday.

The dedicated services will be in place from the Chelsea match on Saturday 17 February, until the end of the season, and be operated and managed by Transport for Greater Manchester.

Full details of the 17 bus routes, ticket fares and timetables by clicking on the routes below.
https://tfgm.com/man-city/bus-network

ENCTS passes acceptable - but no other passes etc. No child fares: just singles or returns. One bus (capacity approx 80) on each route. reviewable by TfGM
Operators mainly Stagecoach but also First, Bullocks, Swans and Tyrers

FAQs give lots of answers:
https://assets.ctfassets.net/nv7y93...anchester_City_Match_Day_Bus_Network_FAQs.pdf

 

[Exilem]

There is a new network of dedicated buses to the Etihad stadium from across Greater Manchester (and a bit beyond) on matchdays. This is a trial until the end of the season.

The obvious joke here is that a similar network would be pointless for Old Trafford as those fans don't live locally! (I say this as a Man United fan - from London! )

https://www.mancity.com/news/club/new-bus-services-transport-for-greater-manchester-63842986

That could mean the buses will have more empty seats than their stadium!
Seriously though not a bad idea and well worth trialling. Having said that thought the United Park and Ride idea never really took off when Old Trafford was expanded in the early 00s. The roads post match get really congested so bus or car is much the same for a lot of people. You still have to sit in a lot of traffic.

 

[higthomas]

Transport for Greater Manchester and Manchester City are delighted to announce the launch of a large-scale bus trial helping fans from across Greater Manchester and nearby areas to travel to and from the Etihad Stadium on a matchday.

The dedicated services will be in place from the Chelsea match on Saturday 17 February, until the end of the season, and be operated and managed by Transport for Greater Manchester.

Full details of the 17 bus routes, ticket fares and timetables by clicking on the routes below.
https://tfgm.com/man-city/bus-network

ENCTS passes acceptable - but no other passes etc. No child fares: just singles or returns. One bus (capacity approx 80) on each route. reviewable by TfGM
Operators mainly Stagecoach but also First, Bullocks, Swans and Tyrers

FAQs give lots of answers:
https://assets.ctfassets.net/nv7y93...anchester_City_Match_Day_Bus_Network_FAQs.pdf

Looking at the routes, I'm surprised they're only picking up at certain stops. I get not stopping when routed along motorways, and not stopping within a mile or so of the stadium, but why not stop at every bus stop further out when trundling round Marple for example?

 

[Deerfold]

Looking at the routes, I'm surprised they're only picking up at certain stops. I get not stopping when routed along motorways, and not stopping within a mile or so of the stadium, but why not stop at every bus stop further out when trundling round Marple for example?

Especially when they're not going to accept day tickets, so anyone connecting will pay another £4.

 

[185]

Are Cheshire East, West Sussex Council & Guandong Province PTE funding this service for their residents?

*runs for cover*

 

[Deerfold]

Are Cheshire East, West Sussex Council & Guandong Province PTE funding this service for their residents?

*runs for cover*

It's Manchester City, not United.

 

[185]

It's Manchester City, not United.

Hey the Red bus obviously comes from Tokyo via Clapham.

La Pot, la kettle, bleu.

 

[northwichcat]

Looking at the routes, I'm surprised they're only picking up at certain stops. I get not stopping when routed along motorways, and not stopping within a mile or so of the stadium, but why not stop at every bus stop further out when trundling round Marple for example?

Hale-Timperley-Brooklands is also strange. I get there's Metrolink from Altrincham but why not run a bus from Hale via a different direction to get to the stadium?

Saying that some of the times seem very slow, even with limited stops. In some cases it would be much quicker to catch a train to Piccadilly and then to walk out.

Are Cheshire East, West Sussex Council & Guandong Province PTE funding this service for their residents?

*runs for cover*

I'm sure the Cheshire councils will fund the Man City bus service, in return for the teams and fans paying for flying over Cheshire when there's away European matches.

 

[Djb1]

Yeah much as this is good to see, I think the fares are too high.

It’ll be interesting to see what the take up is on the south side, given that the fares are higher than Bullock's existing (albeit not widely publicised) match buses.

 

[johncrossley]

Hale-Timperley-Brooklands is also strange. I get there's Metrolink from Altrincham but why not run a bus from Hale via a different direction to get to the stadium?

It says the routes are devised on fan data, so presumably a lot of fans live in those areas.

 

[GusB]

Let's keep this thread for discussing the current proposals for football services, please.

Anyone who wishes to take a trip down memory lane should go here:

Historic football bus services in Manchester

Mod note: split from https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/manchester-city-and-tfgm-to-introduce-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'...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Statto]

Yeah much as this is good to see, I think the fares are too high.

Agreed, the fares are way too high, with no child fares, & no passes other than ENCTS passes can be used either, so can't see the routes being popular because of the restrictions, but i'm surprised the Boothstown route doesn't extend to Leigh

 

[markymark2000]

Agreed, the fares are way too high, with no child fares, & no passes other than ENCTS passes can be used either, so can't see the routes being popular because of the restrictions, but i'm surprised the Boothstown route doesn't extend to Leigh

Charging more for football buses is kind of the norm. Reading Buses is £5.50 single, £7.50 return within the Reading Zone or £6.50/£8.50 in the network zone. Unless you get bundles of tickets, there is no cross ticket acceptance with normal local buses.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Charging more for football buses is kind of the norm. Reading Buses is £5.50 single, £7.50 return within the Reading Zone or £6.50/£8.50 in the network zone. Unless you get bundles of tickets, there is no cross ticket acceptance with normal local buses.

In Germany it is quite common for football and other major event tickets (e.g. large arena gigs) to include a compulsory levy, which allows the match ticket to be used for free public transport to/from the event within the city. I'd love to see TfGM go that direction, but suspect it might require primary legislation to allow for such a levy (a form of tourist tax in effect).

 

[Bwsbro]

Do we know who will operate these buses. I know First Have route 13, but haven’t seen any news on the other routes

 

[D9006]

Agreed, the fares are way too high, with no child fares, & no passes other than ENCTS passes can be used either, so can't see the routes being popular because of the restrictions, but i'm surprised the Boothstown route doesn't extend to Leigh

I think the thinking on this is do we go to Leigh, Wigan or Bolton. Boothstown could offer plenty free off street parking, so perhaps with some services it’s more like a park and ride service

 

[Tim33160]

Do we know who will operate these buses. I know First Have route 13, but haven’t seen any news on the other routes

From Message #5 above:

Full details of the 17 bus routes, ticket fares and timetables by clicking on the routes below.
https://tfgm.com/man-city/bus-network

ENCTS passes acceptable - but no other passes etc. No child fares: just singles or returns. One bus (capacity approx 80) on each route. reviewable by TfGM
Operators mainly Stagecoach but also First, Bullocks, Swans and Tyrers

FAQs give lots of answers: including who is running what
https://assets.ctfassets.net/nv7y93...anchester_City_Match_Day_Bus_Network_FAQs.pdf

 

[Mwanesh]

Seems fair to me. It makes planning easier. Most places you end up with regular passengers dreading to use buses due to football fans behaviour.