An increasingly popular shared transport service in Bolton has been extended, boosting connectivity and giving more people greater access to employment.
The Logistics North Local Link service, which is funded by Bolton Council, will now run from 4am to 9am and from 11am to 1.30am, having previously run from 4am to 9am, 1pm to 6pm and 7pm to 1.30am.
As well as Farnworth, Atherton, Daisy Hill, Little Hulton and Bolton (via the Interchange), the service will now also be made available to people in Breightmet.
Introduced in April 2016, it serves the Logistics North industrial estate, off the A6 near Farnworth - a key strategic employment site for Greater Manchester as well as Bolton.
The site is already home to a number of major employers such as Amazon, Aldi, Whistl Logistics and MBDA with plans for further expansion.
Since its introduction, the service has proved increasingly popular with more than 1,500 trips per month during the run up to Christmas.
Bolton Council’s Director of Place, Gerry Brough, said:
“Logistics North has been a huge success story for the borough. It is a key element of our economic regeneration strategy and has created thousands of jobs.
“Its success has led to an increase in demand for this link service. We wanted to ensure that it will meet this demand and continue to be as available and accessible as possible for the people who need it.
“We are grateful to TFGM for working with us to enable this to happen.”
Chair of the Bus Network and Transport for Greater Manchester Services Sub-Committee, Councillor Roger Jones, said:
“Making travel easier is at the heart of everything we do so it really is fantastic news that we have been able to work in partnership with Bolton Council to extend the hours and the reach of this service.
“As well as the obvious employment benefits, the improvements should also help more people to connect with bus and rail services, which opens up even more travel opportunities.
“Extending the service should also help to potentially reduce the number of car journeys in the area, which will have positive impacts on both congestion and air quality.”
Local Link journeys can be booked by phone or online, and several journeys can be booked in one phone call. Book by phone on 0161 244 1000 (open 7am – 8pm Monday to Friday and 8am – 8pm Saturday, Sunday and public holidays).