TfGM-website, timetable updates and general news concerning TfGM bus stations.

[northwichcat]

Stagecoach Manchester will be taking over the tendered services on route 19 which are currently operated by First Manchester and were previously operated by Finglands until the First buyout.
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Also Arriva are to stop running the 16 Altrincham-Manchester service from the end of April. I've no idea of another operator are taking on the route.

 

[Shrimper]

Few changes on the ex-Finglands routes - the journeys between Sale and West Didsbury will be curtailed to every 20 minutes (presumably retaining a 10 minute service between West Didsbury and Piccadilly).

The 42 will be extended - to NMGH via Cheetham Hill; adding another cross-city route. Times will also be changed to take into account this addition.

 

[HSTEd]

So the Finglands 42 will not follow the same route as the Stagecoach/Magicbus 42?

That is going to get interesting....

 

[WatcherZero]

First has agreed a quality partnership agreement for the 582 route between Leigh and Bolton to commence early April.

 

[BurtonM]

So the Finglands 42 will not follow the same route as the Stagecoach/Magicbus 42?

That is going to get interesting....

Yes, they'll follow the same route as the 42 and Magic 142 along Didsbury-Piccadilly. But the First buses will keep going through Manchester and out the other side to NMGH instead of terminating in Pic Gardens.

 

[Jeni]

Yes, they'll follow the same route as the 42 and Magic 142 along Didsbury-Piccadilly. But the First buses will keep going through Manchester and out the other side to NMGH instead of terminating in Pic Gardens.

I do wonder if they'll now extend the 18 further towards Fallowfield and Didsbury now that they have a bigger presence in the area.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I do wonder if they'll now extend the 18 further towards Fallowfield and Didsbury now that they have a bigger presence in the area.

I think the idea of making the southern terminus a major hospital that could be accessed by people from the northern reaches of the city was the raison d'etre for the recent route extension from the previous terminus of this service from Shudehill bus station.

 

[BurtonM]

The former Finglands operations are using the new First fleet as of today, and the 'Finglands tickets accepted on this route' signs have disappeared from the route 18 hybrids.
It's primarily the Wright Streetlites, though I also spotted an ALX400 with flipdot display on a school service, and an X-reg Plaxton President that appeared to have broken down.

All buses are in the new lilac livery, and they look quite good for it!

 

[Shrimper]

I did see one Volvo Olympian with LED display on the 42s, probably came off a school service.

 

[HSTEd]

Out of interest, where do the Fingland/First 42s actually route too at the top of Oxford Road?
I have never actually ridden one into the town centre itself in all my years studying in Manchester and I can't for the life of me think where they end up - since I don't recall ever seeing one at the terminus in Picadilly Gardens used by the Stagecoach route.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Out of interest, where do the Fingland/First 42s actually route too at the top of Oxford Road? I have never actually ridden one into the town centre itself in all my years studying in Manchester and I can't for the life of me think where they end up - since I don't recall ever seeing one at the terminus in Picadilly Gardens used by the Stagecoach route.

TfGM say that both the service to which you refer and the Stagecoach 42 service to Stockport all leave from the same stance location in Piccadilly bus station.

 

[Jeni]

TfGM say that both the service to which you refer and the Stagecoach 42 service to Stockport all leave from the same stance location in Piccadilly bus station.

In reality the Finglands 42s leave from stand G (with the 142s) and the Stagecoach 42s leave from stand J.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

In reality the Finglands 42s leave from stand G (with the 142s) and the Stagecoach 42s leave from stand J.

Jeni, perhaps you did not follow my wording. I said "same stance location"...not same "stance".

 

[Polo Mint]

So the 41 will be a 20 minute service all the way from Sale to Manchester, with the 42 being a 20 minute service from East Didsbury to Manchester which will then extend to NMGH? So down Wilmslow Road there will only be a 10 minute frequency vs Stagecoach's 30+ buses per hour?

I wonder which route it will take along Cheetham Hill to NMGH. Route 18 seems successful especially now it is routed round the hospital, so it may seem that First are trying to do a similar thing with the 42 to add a link to a major hospital and a major centre of employment.

I hope First is able to compete, as the Finglands services were loss making. I have a bad feeling, but I hope that South Manchester won't be Stagecoach dominated and First can add to their network which will help passengers.

 

[HSTEd]

Noone has a chance against stagecoach on the wilmslow road corridor, unirider is just too entrenched.

 

[Shrimper]

So the 41 will be a 20 minute service all the way from Sale to Manchester, with the 42 being a 20 minute service from East Didsbury to Manchester which will then extend to NMGH? So down Wilmslow Road there will only be a 10 minute frequency vs Stagecoach's 30+ buses per hour?

I get the impression the 10 minute service will be retained between West Didsbury and Piccadilly (previously the 20 minute 41 had the 48/41X to Northenden slotted in between).

 

[BurtonM]

Central Library reopens on the 22nd of this month - will buses be returning to pass in front of it when it does, instead of all going down Portland Street?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Central Library reopens on the 22nd of this month - will buses be returning to pass in front of it when it does, instead of all going down Portland Street?

Slightly off topic, it will be good to see this iconic part of central Manchester without the hoarding and shuttering that have obstructed the view there for such a long period of time.

 

[BurtonM]

It will indeed be nice to see Central Library's grandeur restored: alas, the city's opinion that Metrolink is more important than a war memorial annoys me somewhat, it seems their approach is 'we need more Metrolink capacity, let's just move this war memorial somewhere else'!

 

[boyaloud]

No-one's yet mentioned the biggest news - could somewhere in North Manc be about to receive a night bus service on weekdays?! As the 42 is being extended to NMGH + also made into a night service Mon-Sat but I'm unsure as to whether the night service is just to South Manc. I wish Walkden would get a weekday night service!

 

[northwichcat]

Not sure if it's been mentioned already in this thread but apparently TfGM are withdrawing support for the 130 service from April meaning the Arriva services are subject to cutbacks.
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First Bus have decided that Wilmslow needs a direct bus to Crumpsall using new Streetlites with leather seats and wi-fi. The new Streetlites will be replacing buses acquired from Finglands.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

First Bus have decided that Wilmslow needs a direct bus to Crumpsall using new Streetlites with leather seats and wi-fi. The new Streetlites will be replacing buses acquired from Finglands.

TfGM say they are aware of the First Bus service plans from Crumpsall (North Manchester General Hospital) to Wilmslow Road in South Manchester, but they have no news that this service will be extended to Wilmslow.

Can you be so kind as to let us know what is the view of Cheshire East council with regard to any news that they have of such a service extension and if so will it serve the Spath Lane estate in Handforth ( done by service 378) and the Colshaw Farm estate in Wilmslow (done both by services 130 and 378).

 

[northwichcat]

TfGM say they are aware of the First Bus service plans from Crumpsall (North Manchester General Hospital) to Wilmslow Road in South Manchester, but they have no news that this service will be extended to Wilmslow.

It sounds like it was a mistake by your favourite newspaper, the M.E.N. where someone put online that Didsbury and Wilmslow would get a direct service to Crumpsall, which has since been changed to Didsbury and Wilmslow Road.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It sounds like it was a mistake by your favourite newspaper, the M.E.N. where someone put online that Didsbury and Wilmslow would get a direct service to Crumpsall, which has since been changed to Didsbury and Wilmslow Road.

Good to see that the M.E.N is still keeping up its long tradition of journalistic incompetence...

 

[neilmc]

Ah yes, I remeber explaining to baffled individuals - usually students - that whilst there's a bus along Wilmslow Road about every thirty seconds, none of them actually go to Wilmslow. The words "bus" and "Cheshire" don't really belong in the same sentence.

 

[185]

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co...ews/plans-cut-greater-manchesters-bus-6856835

The review includes finding third-party funding for Manchester's Metroshuttle


Slashing school services, finding fresh funding and axing quiet routes are among the options being considered to drive down bus budgets by £7m.

Councillors will meet on Friday to review plans to cut costs by 20 per cent over the next two years, part of £19m in wider transport reductions.

The review will hit the city’s supported bus routes - those which receive cash support from TfGM - which account for a fifth of total services.

These include some bus services on the general network, school services, the Ring and Ride service for the elderly and disabled, and town and city centre Metroshuttles.

Plans on the agenda include:

- Reducing frequency on the general bus network, particularly on Sundays

- Finding ways to cut school services - seeing if pupils can travel by general bus or tram, bike or on foot

- Looking at ways to complete journeys by a combination of bus and tram

- Finding third-party funding for Manchester Metroshuttle.

- Encouraging operators to take on subsidised routes.

- Stopping Wigan night bus services from July

Most of TfGM’s funding comes from the 10 Greater Manchester councils, which are facing huge cash-flow pressures.

Coun Andrew Fender, chair of the TfGM Committee, said they hoped operators would look at compensating for any cash withdrawn - but all subsidised services are at risk.

Coun Fender said: “We are committed to working with partners to deliver excellent public transport and the last thing any of us wants to see is fewer essential bus services on our roads.

"That’s why the approach we are taking is to drive efficiencies in the way we deliver services rather than simply making cuts. But that’s not to say we won’t face some difficult decisions when it comes to spending on individual services.

“We’ll be undertaking a rigorous, case-by-case review of every bus journey we pay for, and it’s clear from the sheer scale of savings required that we won’t be able to justify continued funding for some of them.

He vowed Greater Manchester’s Ring and Ride accessible transport service will continue to run 8am to 10.45pm, seven days a week.

More information about changes to Ring and Ride services from April 1 can be found at www.tfgm.com/ringandride

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So, Major cuts ahead for buses. Major shortfall in TfGM coffers lead to 70 redundancies last year, 40 this year. Who knows what they have been spending their budget on? Not really any massive white-elephant bus projects eating away at their penny jar? Oh... hang on... :P

 

[BurtonM]

From my brief observations this morning, and a distinct lack of congestion in Piccadilly Gardens, it appears that Central Library's reopening has indeed caused buses that use stands on the City Tower side of the bus station (43, 86 etc) to restart passing in front of the library and using Mosley Street to enter the bus station from the Primark end.

 

[Shrimper]

Those buses have most likely come up Portland Street and turned into Charlotte Street, only travelling along Mosley Street for a short distance - at present the road outside Central Library is still blocked off.

 

[northwichcat]

I noticed yesterday that Corporation Street between the Arndale and Exchange Square is closed to buses due to Metrolink Expansion works so Metroshuttle 2 must have to take an alternative route.

 

[BurtonM]

Those buses have most likely come up Portland Street and turned into Charlotte Street, only travelling along Mosley Street for a short distance - at present the road outside Central Library is still blocked off.

Yes, I concur. The 43 I'm on is on Portland Street, irritatingly.
I'd rather they used Charlotte Street than try and get around the Gardens the long way.