Martha explained how a 45-minute queue to get on a bus resulted in a stolen phone and a smashed window
(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
With thousands pouring out of the city centre’s bars and clubs after midnight on New Year’s Eve, whatever celebratory feeling lingered after the countdown to 2026 quickly turned to stress and worry for many who relied on a bus to get home.
That was precisely the case for friends Martha, Alex and Ellie, who had plans to follow their great night out in the Gay Village with a visit to a friends house in Levenshulme for an afterparty.
All three were in town to soak up the New Year’s Eve festivities, and it was a first ever night out in Manchester for Alex who had travelled all the way up from Kent for the occasion.
At around 1.30am, the trio walked to Piccadilly Gardens to get the 192 Bee Network service headed towards Hazel Grove.
Instead of a quick contactless card tap and a rush to the top deck for a seat, they were met with a sea of fellow revellers all pushing to claim a seat on the one bus.
Martha Johnston is in the picture below, wearing a cream fluffy jacket and standing next to the girl with the pink hair. She described to the M.E.N how a 45-minute queue to get on a bus ended in a stolen phone and a smashed window.
A crowd of people waiting to board the 192(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
“It was too late to get a tram so we were relying on the bus to get out of town,” Martha explained. “Nobody could get on the first 192 that pulled in to the stop. People at the front of the queue immediately rushed to get on but the driver was yelling at them and trying to impose some order.”
She continued: “As we were stood in the queue we were looking for drivers on Bolt and Uber, but we weren’t the only ones so demand was high and it was hard to get one.
“At one point while we were stood there, another bus tried to drive around the 192 and scraped into it. I heard a noise like glass breaking and looked up to see that one of the windows of the 192 had smashed and the road was covered in glass.”
Damage to the side window of a Bee Network bus in Manchester city centre in the early hours of New Year’s Day after a reported collision with another bus.(Image: Martha Johnston)
As people started to realise what had happened, Alex – whose phone had died and had been placed in his pocket – realised he had been robbed.
“We were all distracted looking at the collision and we think someone who had seen Alex on his phone just moments earlier stole it from his coat pocket,” Martha explained. “We panicked and looked around but it hadn’t fallen on the ground so he must have been pickpocketed while everyone was reacting to the collision.”
Luckily, Alex managed to memorise his Mum’s number so he was able to arrange for her to pick him up after his gruelling New Year’s Day journey back to Kent – phoneless and scarred from his Manchester nightlife debut.
Martha said there was no TFGM staff members around to help control the disorder or complain to. She added that she was lucky to have her big coat on because other people were in much less clothing and looked to be freezing.
After a long and traumatic experience at the bus stop, a driver eventually accepted their fare on Bolt and they settled for a £30 spin over to Levenshulme.
When asked about the alleged collision between Bee Network busses, a TfGM spokesperson said: “At around 1.30am this morning, two Bee Network buses were involved in a minor collision on Piccadilly in Manchester City Centre.
“There were no passengers on board either bus at the time and nobody was injured.”
They added: “At the time of the collision, we know the area was very busy as people headed home from New Year’s Eve celebrations and some passengers had to queue longer than usual to get a bus.
“We deployed TravelSafe Support and Enforcement Officers to the area to help make sure everyone got home safely and would like to thank passengers who did have to queue for their patience.”