163 one of seven bus services saved in £2.5m move

The 163 bus service between Manchester and Bury via Heywood and Middleton will be reduced to every 15 minutes, as one of seven routes saved in Rochdale and Bolton.

The routes have been saved as transport bosses announce funding worth £2.5m to keep the routes running. It follows Diamond’s decision to cut bus services after missing out on a major contract.
 

Read more: Plea for Diamond to think again over plans to scrap town’s ‘lifeline’ bus service to city centrePublished: 27 January 2023

The operator will still run some of the first buses to be brought under public control later this year, but Go North West will run most of the franchised bus services in Bolton and Wigan as well as parts of Salford, Bury and Rochdale. Last month, Diamond said it would be cutting services from April due to the ‘uncertainty’ created by the bus franchising announcements.

However, mayor Andy Burnham promised to ‘pull out all the stops’ to save services which were set be scrapped when Diamond pulls a fifth of its bus fleet from the Bolton depot.
 

Read more: Andy Burnham will ‘pull out all the stops’ to save bus services under threatPublished: 27 January 2023

Now, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has said it will subsidise some of the bus routes which were under threat, including the 163.

Mr Burnham said: “People right across Greater Manchester rely on bus services to go about their daily lives, and so we have taken decisive action – as we did last year – to ensure communities are not cut off. It is really important that people have access to a stable and reliable network, particularly when, in just a few months’ time, we start to bring buses under local control for the first time in nearly 40 years.

“We have heard loud and clear the concerns from residents and I hope the announcement today will reassure passengers that their bus service is safe and demonstrates our long-term commitment to investing in, and bettering, public transport through the Bee Network.”

Although contracts still need to be signed, TfGM has announced how the bus services which were under threat would be affected by the subsidies. Bosses explained that the funding will be used to save services from being scrapped.

TfGM boss Stephen Rhodes told Greater Manchester’s transport committee on Friday (17 February) that around 28 buses must now be sourced alongside additional drivers for these services to continue operating.

He explained that income from fares on these routes will cover some of the costs of subsidies, but the move will ultimately require approximately £2.5m from TfGM’s budget.

This money will partially come from government funding given to the city-region from the Bus Recovery Grant and Bus Service Improvement Plan. Similar steps were taken last summer to save dozens of bus services which were set to be withdrawn or reduced because they were deemed unprofitable.

However, Diamond said it was not withdrawing services for financial reasons, but because of the ‘uncertainty’ created by bus franchising. Councillors on the transport committee were warned of further instability as all buses in Greater Manchester are brought under public control by 2025, starting in September.

Mr Rhodes said he could not guarantee that TfGM would be able to subsidise all services that are withdrawn by operators during the franchising process.

Councillor Phil Burke, the council’s transport spokesman, said: “This is a welcome u-turn and something I have campaigned tirelessly for. The 163 bus service is a lifeline for so many residents who use it to get to school, work, for their weekly shop and to catch up with friends and relatives.

“The community has united to speak with one voice and sent a clear message of ‘hands off our 163 bus service’. I ensured this issue was top of the agenda at Transport for Greater Manchester meetings, helping to save this vital community lifeline from the axe. It’s a victory for common sense and showed community campaigning at its very best.”

Councillor Neil Emmott, leader of Rochdale Borough Council, said: “This is great news for the Middleton and Heywood community, as the 163 service is popular, well used and a vital service for people of all ages. We have come together, as a community, to speak as one and send a clear message that the 163 service should not be removed. It’s a tremendous victory and our work continues to ensure this and other vital local bus services serve the area for years to come.”

Joseph Timan, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Additional reporting: Rochdale Online News