New Night Buses Proposed to Link Bury and Rochdale with Manchester City Centre

Two new night buses have been proposed for Greater Manchester.

Two new hourly night buses services are proposed on the 135 (Manchester – Prestwich – Bury) and the 17/17a (Manchester – Middleton – Rochdale) which would connect Bury and Rochdale town centres with Manchester city centre, running through areas where car ownership is low, and serving key employment sites and hospitality venues in both town centres.

Unlike the existing V1 and 36 night buses which run seven days a week, the new routes will initially run on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. This reflects patronage trends which show that demand is expected to be initially lower at the start and middle of the week. They are expected to start before the end of the year subject to approval at the Bee Network Committee later this month.

The V1 and 36 night buses, which were introduced as a pilot in September 2024, will be extended at least until the end of the 2025/26 financial year.

Meanwhile, work with local authorities is ongoing to assess plans to introduce night buses in Oldham, Tameside and Trafford in 2026/27, as well as wider opportunities to improve public transport access in all areas of Greater Manchester to align with commitments within the GMS.

They include delivery of the UK’s first fully integrated, zero-emission public transport network, integration of rail lines into the Bee Network, and the region’s first operationally carbon neutral interchange in Bury.

Call to action here if needed

Published by
Greater Manchester Music Commission