All-night journeys introduced to two bus services in Greater Manchester that are part of the first tranche of franchising carried around 7,000 passengers in the opening four weeks of their pilot period.
That averages to around 250 users per overnight period on the additional departures on route 36 between Bolton and Manchester and route V1 between Manchester Royal Infirmary and Leigh. Both are operated by Go North West, with a broadly hourly frequency during the small hours. The V1 uplift has introduced 24/7 operation to the Leigh Guided Busway.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) says that addition of the all-night journeys means that on the two bus routes in question, the number of passenger trips made on them between 2200-0700hrs was 53,413 for the period in question.
The new departures account for over 13% of the total usage across those hours. Friday and Saturday nights are most popular for late evening and overnight patronage, TfGM adds. 24/7 journeys have long operated on a handful of commercial services in Greater Manchester that are not yet part of the franchised network.
As a pilot scheme, the overnight 36 and V1 journeys deliver 24/7 bus connectivity for around 135,000 people living within a five-minute walk of the two routes, including students and employees at hospitality, healthcare, and logistics sites.
TravelSafe support and enforcement officers have been deployed to the overnight journeys to provide reassurance and visibility to passengers. TfGM is also partnering with Strut Safe, a volunteer-operated support line with a friendly voice for those out alone on weekend nights.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham says that prior to launch of the trial, residents of the conurbation had been “crying out” for better public transport at night and into early mornings.
“Providing late-night bus services remains a key part of our vision for the Bee Network, and these encouraging figures show that the demand is there for safer, reliable and more affordable public transport at these times of the evening,” adds Mr Burnham
“This pilot is crucial in allowing us to gather the insight we need to deliver on our aspirations for more Bee Network night buses, while also making the case for extra funding to provide better services for the people and businesses in Greater Manchester.”
