First Manchester encourages customers to think before they litter

Removing bus litter

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A local bus operator is encouraging customers to take their rubbish away with them to help other customers enjoy their onward journeys after it has been revealed that cleaners are spending up to 25 minutes removing rubbish from every bus each evening.

First Manchester operates hundreds of bus services across the region and places the cleanliness of its vehicles as one of its highest priorities. Each vehicle undergoes a daily clean of the exterior and interior every evening, which starts with a sweep of the bus to remove the rubbish and property left behind by customers.

Every bus has all litter removed every evening, with daily items removed including chewing gum, Metro newspapers, plastic bottles and chocolate wrappers.

The most common annoyance for cleaners is chewing gum being stuck underneath seats as this can damage the seats when removed.

Any items collected such as glass, metals, oils and general waste are sent away for recycling.

Lost property is stored for one month before being donated to charity, with regular items found including purses and wallets, glasses, and laptops.

A spokesperson at First Manchester, said: “Operating a reliable and value for money service is our highest priority, but we also want to ensure that the on-board experience is pleasant for our customers and that the vehicles are clean and welcoming. We have noticed an increase in customers leaving rubbish on board buses and we have therefore launched a campaign to encourage people to take their rubbish away with them and to leave the bus tidy.

“We have regular requests for larger litter bins on board our buses and we have taken this feedback on board and are now working with the manufacturers of our new buses, to ensure we have larger litter bins that are more visible. In the meantime, we’d urge customers to help keep the bus tidy by placing Metro newspapers back into the tray and to take any food and drink packaging away with them when leaving the bus.”