Transport leaders say ‘plan ahead for winter’

Winter weather

Transport leaders in Greater Manchester are encouraging passengers to plan ahead for the winter months – after one of the coldest Novembers for decades.

Greater Manchester experienced the coldest winter for a generation last year and all forms of transport were affected by several days of heavy snowfall and freezing conditions.

Councillor Ian Macdonald, Chairman of Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority, said: “The darker nights are here and we have already seen freezing conditions hit the region – so now is a good time for people to consider their travel options.

“No-one expected the weather we had last winter to be so severe and there is no escaping that the vast majority of travel plans were affected for several days as a result.

“So I would encourage everyone to plan ahead now by thinking about how they travel and what their alternative options are, so they are as prepared as they can be if we do experience any disruption this winter.”

Here are some simple steps you can take to prepare your travel plans:

• Find out which company runs your bus service and keep a copy of their contact details to hand, or in your mobile phone, so you know who to call if there are any problems. You can use your local Travelshop or the bus timetable section of www.gmpte.com to find these details.
• If your bus company has a website, check it regularly to see if there are any service changes. A list of operators’ websites is available at www.gmpte.com.
• Check www.nationalrail.co.uk or www.metrolink.co.uk before travelling for service updates on train and tram services in Greater Manchester.
• Allow extra time for your journeys, as wintry weather can affect road and rail conditions which, in turn, affect services.
• Use the journey planner at www.gmpte.com to research in advance what alternative services or routes are available if your usual plans are affected. This might involve using more than one service or mixing types of travel.
• Call Traveline on 0871 200 22 33 to plan a journey. (Calls from landlines cost 10p per minute.  Mobile and landline networks may charge additional tariff costs. Lines are open from 7am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 8pm at weekends.)
• Pick up a copy of your bus or train timetable from your local Travelshop, or download one from GMPTE’s website, for future reference.
• Add ‘84268’ to your mobile phone’s contacts list. If you text the unique code on your bus stop sign to this number you’ll be sent a snapshot of the published timetable, which details the next three services on that schedule to call at your stop. (Text messages cost 25p plus the standard charge from your service provider).