Back in March 2022, #WWO published an article on the planned changes to Wigan and Greater Manchester Bus Service. Today, Andy Burnham announced changes will start first in Wigan from the 17th September 2022. Read on to find out more about what reregulating Wigan Bus Services means to you.
What is Happening to the Wigan Bus Services?
Some while ago Andy Burnham announced that Transport for Greater Manchester will take the whole of Greater Manchester Bus Serivces into public owenership. It is the biggest change to Wigan bus service in approximately 30 years! Once all regions are live, it will give us a single service across Greater Manchester, integrated to other transport.
Burnham stated today that fares will also be capped at £2-00 for adults and £1-00 for children. Significantly cheaper the current cost from Wigan Town Centre to Winstanley.
GMCA will set performance targets around punctuality, reliability and standards. This will ensure there is a consistent, high-quality passenger experience across the network. Set locally for the benefit of locals.
We will have;
- a single capped ticketing system that can be used on multiple vehicles
- online ticketing
- more environmentally friendly vehicles
- a single black annd yellow livery across all
- accessibility for all
- on-board travel information
How & When Will This Happen?
Due to the size of the area, the changes will take place in phases. The first phase includes Wigan, Bolton and Salford. The remainder of Greater Manchester will roll out in two additional phases. Once all are operational the whole county will run as a single integrated system.
The go ahead comes after extensive public consultation over a 20 week period. You can find all the reports to the consultation on the GMCA website.
Reregulating Wigan Bus Service – Useful Links
For a detailed view of the plan select the link below;