Manchester’s free city centre bus is quite the asset and it’s certainly not just for tourists. If you time it right and you need to get from one side of Manchester city centre to the other, this free yellow bus can help get you there and better still, the free bus has introduced some new destinations for passengers to hop on and off at.
Transport for Greater Manchester and Manchester City Council have agreed to continue funding the service for the foreseeable future. First introduced in parts of the city centre not served by public transport, the free bus connects key destinations – including visitor and retail attractions – with transport hubs and rail stations.
To enable the continued running of free bus in Manchester city centre, a revised service that better reflects current demand has been launched, with two new routes and new timetables replacing the previous three route service. Both routes will operate from 7am to 7.30pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 6.30pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
The new Manchester free bus routes will allow passengers to travel from Piccadilly to new destinations such as HOME and Deansgate Locks, while maintaining links to Deansgate and Victoria rail stations, Spinningfields, Chinatown and the Science and Industry Museum (SIM).
Stephen Rhodes, TfGM’s Director of Bus, said: “The free bus has been a staple of Manchester city centre’s transport network since it was first introduced as Metroshuttle more than 20 years ago. The service is provided by TfGM and Manchester City Council, and by delivering these changes we are keen to build on this partnership and continue delivering the service for years to come.”
During the main part of the day each service will run every 10 minutes, and will serve the following routes:
- Free bus 1 will follow a clockwise loop from Piccadilly rail station to Deansgate rail station, then via SIM, Spinningfields and Chinatown back to Piccadilly. This route will provide a link from Piccadilly to attractions at the bottom end of Deansgate, such as SIM and HOME, while maintaining links between Piccadilly and Spinningfields
- Free bus 2 will follow a clockwise loop from Piccadilly rail station to Chinatown, King Street, St Marys Gate, Victoria rail station and Shudehill, then back to Piccadilly. This route will provide a link from Piccadilly to the shopping areas of King Street, Market Street and Deansgate.
For more information about the new Manchester free bus routes, destinations and timetables, head here.