A new 24/7 night bus service launched across Greater Manchester, in September 2024.
Services V1 and 36 will connect Manchester to Leigh and Bolton via Salford, running every hour in both directions.
Night buses will also adopt the capped fares introduced in 2022, offering a simplified and consistent ticketing system across all bus services in Greater Manchester.
Currently, tickets for single journeys cost £1 for children and £2 for adults.
The services offer 24-hour connectivity to approximately 135,000 people living within a five-minute walk of the two routes, benefiting students as well as those working in hospitality and healthcare.
The 43 and the 142 are two existing bus routes that serve the student areas of southern Manchester throughout the night.
Service 43 links Manchester Piccadilly to the airport, whereas service 142 connects the city centre to East Didsbury. Both services run through the university and Fallowfield.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “Ensuring that everyone working in our night-time economy can access safe, reliable, around-the-clock public transport is hugely important as our thriving region continues to grow.
Among those set to benefit from the night bus services will be students, with both the V1 and 36 passing the University of Salford and providing further connectivity with the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University campuses in the city centre”.
The V1 and 36 night bus services carried approximately 7,000 passengers in the opening four weeks of their pilot period.
This averages to 250 users per night on route 36 between Bolton and Manchester, and route V1 between Manchester Royal Infirmary and Leigh.
TravelSafe support and enforcement officers have been deployed on the overnight journeys to offer reassurance and enhance visibility for passengers.
Andy Burnham said that rolling out night services remains “a key part of our vision for the Bee Network“.
On October 2, he outlined his vision for improving transport across Greater Manchester, saying that from March 2025, a London-style ticketing system will be introduced across all services.
Additionally, Reclaim the Night 2024 (run by the Students’ Union) is asking that the 142 and 111 routes be added to the 24-hour service.
Both suggested bus routes run through student-heavy areas, going past MMU, the University of Manchester and through Fallowfield.
Andy Burnham also announced that Manchester buses will keep the £2 cap on single fares, despite the government’s announcement to raise the bus fare cap to £3 starting next year.
