If you’re planning to drive into Manchester for the Christmas Markets, a shopping trip or a night out, you can leave the car on the edge of the city and let public transport do the rest. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is encouraging those heading into the city to use one of the region’s 41 park and ride sites offering 6,610 free spaces, including 319 disabled bays, then take the tram, bus or train.
Plus, TfGM has confirmed that overnight restrictions have also been lifted. You can head out for the evening and collect your car the next day without being charged.
TfGM expects around 3.4 million extra visitors during the Christmas Markets period alone. Park and ride aims to cut the number of cars heading into busy town and city centres, and spare you the hunt for a space on the high street.
Danny Vaughan, Chief Network Officer at TfGM, said park and ride suits people who still need the car for part of their journey: park further out for free, then hop on public transport. His advice is to plan ahead and allow a little extra time.
Where the park and ride spaces are in Greater Manchester
Metrolink: 16 sites offer more than 3,600 spaces. They include Parkway (341 spaces) for the Trafford Centre and Old Trafford, East Didsbury (278), Sale Water Park (285), Radcliffe (458) and Whitefield (318).
Bus and rail: More than 800 spaces serve bus park and ride sites at Leigh (131), Tyldesley (46) and Wardley (259) on the Leigh Guided Busway, plus Hazel Grove (400). Another 21 local train stations provide more than 2,300 spaces.
Weekend pop-up sites: From November 14, more than 650 extra free weekend spaces open close to Bee Network services. They run every weekend until Christmas, from 9am to 8pm, at:
- Bury Grammar School for Girls, Bridge Road, Bury
- St Monica’s High School, Bury Old Road, Prestwich
- Emirates Old Trafford, Talbot Road, Trafford
- Bowker Vale Primary School, Middleton Road, Manchester
- St Edmunds RC Primary School, Upper Monsall Street, Manchester
- University of Manchester car park, Booth Street (from Sunday 22 November)
You can find full details of every location and onward travel options on the Bee Network website.
Other festive transport changes
Park and ride is one of several measures to keep the city region moving over the festive period:
- More double trams on some of the busiest parts of the Metrolink network, and extra tram services for major events such as football fixtures.
- New night buses serving all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs, for later journeys home after a night out or a late shift.
- Direct bus and tram services to the Trafford Centre.
- An extended half-hourly 615 service linking Bolton town centre and Middlebrook Retail Park in Horwich.
- More customer service staff at the busiest tram stops.
- Network monitoring by TfGM’s Operational Control Centre, where staff work with transport operators and partner organisations to respond to incidents and disruption.
