Greater Manchester is marking a year of locally controlled buses with a series of improvements, including a new all-electric bus route in Salford, upgraded depots and new customer information screens.
From 4 January, the number 30 bus will connect the Trafford Centre, Trafford Park, Salford Quays, Ordsall Lane and Manchester City Centre. The service replaces the X50 and will run seven days a week, with buses every 30 minutes from Monday to Saturday.
The route comes as Ordsall and other parts of Salford experience significant growth. Around 1,000 new apartments have been built along the Ordsall Lane corridor. Salford Council secured 2 million GBP from local developers to help fund the service.
The new route is part of ongoing Bee Network enhancements. Three new routes have been introduced in the past year, alongside improvements to over 80 services, including new night buses.
Passenger numbers on Bee Network buses have risen steadily. Over 250 million journeys have been recorded in areas brought under local control, with passenger growth of 29% and 18% respectively across the first two zones.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) also announced the reopening of Middleton bus depot following electrification works. The depot now operates 53 electric buses, increasing the total number of electric buses in service to 390.
Meanwhile, the first of 284 new digital Passenger Information Display screens has been installed at North Manchester General Hospital. The screens provide real-time departure information and disruption updates, with text-to-speech functions to improve accessibility. Further installations will be rolled out across the city region.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester said:It’s been a great first full year of locally controlled buses under the Bee Network.
Many more people are now getting on board with services that are much more reliable, affordable and accessible, with new routes and more frequent buses better connecting people to jobs and opportunity.
It’s all part of our plan to deliver a world-class transport network that will support a decade of good growth that benefits every part of Greater Manchester.
Greater Manchester aims to increase bus passenger numbers by 30% by 2030 and to ensure that 50% of all journeys are made by public transport, walking or cycling by 2040. The region also plans that, by 2030, 90% of residents will be within a five-minute walk or wheeling distance of a bus or tram that comes at least every 30 minutes.
