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Greater Manchester bus route 135

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135
Stagecoach Manchester Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B9TL at Piccadilly Gardens in August 2024
Overview
OperatorStagecoach Manchester
GarageQueens Road
VehicleWright Eclipse Gemini/Volvo B9TL
Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC
Route
StartPiccadilly Gardens
Via
EndBury Interchange
Service
LevelDaily
Frequency10-30 mins
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Greater Manchester bus route 135 is a Bee Network contracted bus route in Greater Manchester, England. Running between Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester city centre and Bury Interchange, it is operated by Stagecoach Manchester.

History

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GM Buses North Northern Counties Paladin bodied Volvo B6LE at Piccadilly Gardens bus station in 1996

Route 135 can trace its origins back to route 35, which was operated jointly by the Manchester Corporation, the Bury Corporations, and Salford City Transport.[1][better source needed] The route gained its current numbering when ran by Greater Manchester Transport, and the original 35 number was later inherited by a new route operating between Piccadilly Gardens and Bryn Station.

First Greater Manchester Scania OmniCity articulated bus at Piccadilly Gardens in July 2008

After the route had passed from GM Buses to GM Buses North upon the splitting of the former, when operated by First Manchester, the 135 was notable for being the only bus route in Greater Manchester to be operated using articulated buses. In April 1999, a fleet of 15 low-floor Wright Fusion bodied Volvo B10LAs replaced conventional double decker buses on the route, being trialled by the FirstGroup as a 'testbed' for future deliveries across its fleets.[2] These were replaced in 2005 with a fleet of eighteen Scania OmniCity integrally-constructed buses,[3][4] however in August 2017, these were withdrawn due to maintenance costs and space issues at Queens Road garage, being replaced by conventional buses.[5]

As a result of £7.1 million of cuts to Transport for Greater Manchester's bus subsidies, the 135's weekend night bus service, running until 3:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, were withdrawn by First on 25 January 2015.[6]

Go North West route-branded Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B9TL in June 2022

The 135 passed to Go North West in June 2019 following the sale of First's Queens Road garage to the Go-Ahead Group. Under Go North West, route 135 received a fleet of refurbished ex-First Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B9TLs painted in a green variant of standard Go North West fleet livery, featuring branding for the 135. These buses, along with the operations of the 135, passed to Stagecoach Manchester upon commencement of Tranche 2 of Bee Network bus franchising, which saw Queens Road garage transfer from Go North West to Stagecoach.[citation needed]

A fleet of new Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMCs, painted in Bee Network yellow, were later allocated by Stagecoach Manchester to this route and operate together alongside the fleet of Wright Eclipse Geminis. As part of the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan created by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, a fleet of battery electric buses are planned to replace these buses on the 135 upon the completion of electrification works at Queens Road garage, with the segment of the route on Lever Street near Stevenson Square identified as a site of risk for high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide air pollution.[7]

Current route

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The 135 serves the following locations:[8]

Route 135 primarily runs via the Bury Old Road, making the route more straightforward in comparison to route 163, since it does not need to serve Middleton bus station and Heywood on the Rochdale Road, as well as The Rock shopping centre.

References

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  1. ^ Cowtan, Malcolm (9 March 2022). "Post-First Manchester". Buses. No. 805. Stamford: Key Publishing. Retrieved 26 August 2024. The route had its origins in the historic 35, operated jointly by Manchester Corporation, Bury Corporation, and Salford City.
  2. ^ Salter, Alan (24 April 1999). "How the super bus aims to drive passengers round bend". Manchester Evening News. p. 7. Retrieved 31 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Brown, Stewart (3 March 2006). "Shaking up Manchester". Bus & Coach Professional. Archived from the original on 11 November 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Bendy buses are a First class ticket to ride". Manchester Evening News. 30 June 2005. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  5. ^ Grimsditch, Lee (23 September 2023). "When 'bendy buses' first appeared on the streets of Manchester and why you won't see them anymore". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  6. ^ Britton, Paul (4 February 2015). "Weekend bus services taken off road due to budget cuts". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  7. ^ "Greater Manchester's Clean Air Plan to tackle Nitrogen Dioxide Exceedances at the Roadside" (PDF). Transport for Greater Manchester. September 2024. p. 40. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  8. ^ "135 Piccadilly Gardens - Cheetham Hill - Whitefield - Bury". Transport for Greater Manchester. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
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