Joint bus ticket arrangement between three operators has now ended

Photo: Journeaux

Buses at Rochdale Transport Interchange

A joint bus ticketing arrangement between Go North West, First Greater Manchester and Diamond Bus North West has now ended.

After several bus depots changed hands over the summer, tickets and travel passes from the individual companies were accepted on each other’s services in a temporary arrangement, which ended on 1 January.

Passengers can still buy a seven-day multi-operator tickets through System One for £19, but this is £3 more than what was offered under the joint arrangement.

Customers with annual passes valid beyond 1 January will be eligible for refunds for the costs from January to the expiry of their ticket.

According to Diamond Bus, there was ‘very little’ cross-operator travel during the agreement period, and the number of passengers using tickets across the three operators is ‘relatively small’.

A joint statement from the three operators, released in November 2019, said: “This summer there were a number of ownership changes within the bus network in North Manchester.

“To make sure these changes went smoothly for customers, a temporary arrangement was put in place for tickets issued by First, Go North West and Diamond Bus to be accepted on each company’s buses.

“Now that each company’s network of services in north Manchester is clearly established, there is no longer a need for this arrangement.”

The ticketing arrangement was initially set up to benefit First customers after Go North West bought the company’s Queens Road depot in June.

This was later extended to include Diamond Bus services following its acquisition of First’s Bolton depot in August.

Additional reporting: Niall Griffiths, Local Democracy Reporting Service