An hourly service will operate on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays in a bid to boost the night-time economy
Night buses will run between Bury and Manchester and vice versa on Thursday, Friday and Saturday
A 24-hour bus service between Bury and Manchester is to launch this week.
From Thursday, September 4, night buses will run on the 135 route, connecting Bury, Whitefield, Besses o’ th’ Barn and Prestwich with Manchester on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
The Bee Network said the pilot scheme aimed to support the borough’s night-time economy.
To see planning applications; traffic and road diversions and layout changes; and more, visit the Public Notices Portal HERE
Currently, the last journey on the service 135 bus leaves Manchester at 12.15am and Bury at 11.25pm, before starting again at around 4.30am.
The new service will mean that buses will run all night, with services at 25 minutes past the hour from Bury and four minutes past the hour from Manchester.
The pilot will mean services all night between Bury Interchange and Shudehill Interchange, along Manchester Road, Bury New Road and through Cheetham Hill.
The Bee Network said people enjoying nights out in the city centre and Bury, enjoying a show at the Met and people working along the route, including in Whitefield, will be able to get home.
Plans for the new route were announced by Mayor Andy Burnham in July as part of the launch of the Greater Manchester Strategy (GMS), the region’s vision for the next decade to grow the local economy and ensure everyone can live well.
The trial will see service run on a three-day weekend service pattern (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights), running hourly throughout the night. This reflects patronage trends which show that demand is expected to be initially lower at the start and middle of the week.
Coun Eamonn O’Brien, leader of Bury Council, said: “This is an excellent initiative which will help to connect people between Bury and the city.
“Improvement and investment is essential in encouraging residents to use public transport, and at a time which suits them, for work or leisure.
“As this is a trial, I would urge local people to use this new service and show us how popular it will be.”
Vernon Everitt, transport commissioner for Greater Manchester said: “We are continuing to develop the Bee Network so that it serves the needs of local communities and businesses across Greater Manchester.
Sign up to the MEN Politics newsletter Due North here
“The new 135 night bus services will open up better access to local venues in and around Bury as well as central Manchester via Prestwich and will help people working late to get to their jobs and safely back home again, and all for a £2 fare.”
He added: “Recognising the importance of providing all workers with safe, reliable, round-the-clock public transport services is critical to the Bee Network and its continued success.”