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9:59 am, October 28, 2009
GMITA launches new bus services

By Simon Binns

The Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority (GMITA) has launched a collection of new bus services in Greater Manchester, funding changes to several services running through Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport and Trafford.

The new services will improve links to healthcare, education and jobs, according to GMITA. The changes came into force on Sunday and will be reviewed in six month’s time.

“Our intention is to provide more direct journeys between key locations so people don’t have to switch buses, and to also fill in a couple of gaps that have developed over time,” said GMITA chair Councillor Keith Whitmore.

“In doing so, we hope to make public transport a more viable option for getting to work, to hospital appointments or to education, which will, in turn, encourage even more people to travel by bus in future.”

The new services are the 23, from the Trafford Centre to Stockport, which now runs every half hour in the evening, Monday to Saturday; the 245, from Flixton to Altrincham, which has been extended to Manchester Airport via Hale and Hale Barns; a new 56 service that runs from Rochdale to Milnrow, Shaw, Oldham and North Manchester General Hospital every half an hour from 7am to 7pm, and the 58, from Rochdale to Middleton, which will now call at Bury via Heywood.

Proposals for other new or improved services are dependent on funding being secured from the Government’s Kickstart scheme.

Comments? sbinns@crain.com