Bolton passengers made history this bank holiday weekend as they became the first to ride on the borough’s brand-new bus routes.
Last year saw the launch of the Greater Manchester Strategy, a wide-ranging vision for the city region with each borough committing to a series of improvements.
On Sunday, Bolton Council delivered on the first of these pledges by officially welcoming new and improved bus access to Middlebrook, Logistics North and further afield.
From August 30, the routes of the 575, 576 and 615 buses have been changed to help shoppers and staff get to and from Middlebrook, with the 575 running four times an hour, the 576 now calling at Middlebrook and the 615 running all the way into the town centre.
People who work at Logistics North are benefiting from updated timetables for the 507 and 511 designed to make them match shift patterns at the major employment hub.
Anyone using the 471 weekdays will find more buses, while the Sunday service will increase from 7am to midnight.
These changes are making life easier and cheaper for the people of Bolton.
The number 36 late night service from Bolton to Manchester is continuing on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with some additional mid-week trips added.
The new bus changes place an emphatic tick against one of Bolton’s three major commitments in the GM Strategy.
The council is also making progress on its other two priorities, which are to create a Mayoral Development Corporation to drive growth and regeneration in the town centre, and to push on with the regeneration of Hulton Park to secure long-term investment and improved infrastructure.
The leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Akhtar Zaman, said:
“When we joined with partners across the region to launch the Greater Manchester Strategy, we put forward a vision to create a thriving city-region where everyone can live a good life.
“But well-meaning words on paper only matter if they lead to real improvements for people.
“That’s why I’m so proud to be here as we continue to make changes to Bolton’s buses.
“Changes that, together with things like free round-the-clock travel for older and disabled people, are making life easier and cheaper for the people of Bolton.”
Bev Craig, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:
“The Bee Network belongs to the people of Greater Manchester and it needs to work for every community.
“We’re bringing night buses to every borough, launching new routes and ensuring buses run more often in the mornings, evenings and weekends.
“In doing so, we’re making it easier than ever for people to get around the city region by bus. But we’re also supporting our businesses, whose staff and customers need a reliable and safe way to reach them.”