A sighting these days is rare, but not impossible.
‘…It’s Magic!’ It really was(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Like huge moving sheds, they traversed Europe’s busiest bus corridor for decades.
Officially, the last Magic Bus made its final journey in January – taking £1 fares, a colourful paintjob and an indescribable late-night energy with it.
But it’s still possible to see one in the wild as transport bosses work to dress each of Greater Manchester’s buses with the Bee Network livery.
And that’s exactly what happened as I chatted to students in Fallowfield on a sunny afternoon this week.
A Magic Bus spotted in Fallowfield on Wednesday
Like some rare bird of prey it appeared out of nowhere (or Rusholme). Very large, vibrantly blue, magnificent. The lesser-spotted Magic Bus.
“Ooh look,” I said, pointing it out to the marked bewilderment of two teenagers who had kindly agreed to speak to me about something else entirely. They seemed unimpressed.
Really, it is impossible to explain to a Manchester newcomer why these giant blue and yellow chariots became part of south Manchester lore.
Like Bowie at the Free Trade Hall – you just had to be there.
A fixture of south Manchester life, Magic Buses ferried the city’s students and those on a tight budget between Northenden, Didsbury and the city centre for almost 30 years.
How the Magic Bus looked in the early 2000s
And the iconic double-deckers were the go-to mode of transport for fresh-faced undergraduates.
Of course, it wasn’t always an enchanting experience.
As a perpetually tardy schoolgirl I would watch with extreme irritation every September as student after student boarded at Owens Park each with a £10 note and no clue as to where they were going.
“Get a weekly pass and sit down,” I would say, assertively, under my breath.
The magic of the Magic Bus was not sourced merely from its name, but from its essence and, most certainly, its smell. There was sorcery at play in that heady mix of damp umbrella, fried chicken and diesel fumes.
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
There are some who will tell you the Magic Bus did not deserve its moniker. That there was in fact nothing magical about them at all. That they were, in fact, just buses with a big wizard on the side.
Those naysayers must never have known the joy of being abandoned in town with only £1 to your name, knowing you would make it home safely.
They can never have experienced a late-night chat with a tanked up group of students who turned out to be really nice people.
They must never have known what it was to ride at the top and front of the huge double-deckers and marvel at the resplendent sights of Toastrack, the old BBC building and Cine City like a tourist.
Goodbye, faithful friend(Image: Manchester Evening News)
I wasn’t the only one feeling dewy-eyed when their magic finally fizzled out.
The 142, 143 and 147 Stagecoach services all continue to run, but as part of the Bee Network.
My sighting this week was a one-off according to Transport for Greater Manchester, who say the bus was one of a small number yet to be liveried.
But for a south Manchester native like me, the sight of that gleaming chariot was magical nonetheless.