Oldham: Bus Network Proposals

A new network of bus services for Greater Manchester is being developed. This will be at the heart of services which will be up and running by summer 2013. The new network will have about 10% more services than it does now, and some services - for example those operating evenings or Sunday daytimes to Oldham town centre - will be increased by up to 20%.

The new network will provide bus services that start earlier in the day and run later at night, and where necessary, create new 'feeder' services to rail or new Metrolink stations. The network will provide 'minimum service frequencies', so that on the main routes to the city centre such as the A62, at least eight buses an hour will run through the day, and no fewer than three buses an hour will be available in the evenings and Sundays.

Locally, daytime bus services to Oldham town centre, will run at least three buses an hour, and at least two an hour during evenings and Sundays.

The network is also planned to bring as many people as possible within a five-minute walk of a regular, all day, service to a local town centre. 90% of the population of the borough of Oldham will be within a five-minute walk of bus services, running at least every 20 minutes during the daytime, Monday to Saturday. Services will run at least every 30 minutes for weekday early mornings and evenings, and on Sundays.

All new buses will have low floors to make it easier for people to get on and off.

By introducing vehicle location technology, services will run more efficiently and reliably. The technology will allow for new passenger information displays to be provided at stops and stations giving up-to-the-minute information on bus services. Improving passenger information in this way is crucial to building greater confidence - and more use - of public transport.