Metroshuttle is a free bus system that operates in Manchester city centre

Manchester City Centre

Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...

 and Bolton

Bolton

Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...

 and Stockport

Stockport

Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...

 town centres, all in Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...

, England. Manchester's Metroshuttle consists of three routes (numbered 1, 2 and 3) that traverse the city centre, linking the city's major thoroughfares and stations with its main commercial, financial and cultural districts. The Bolton Metroshuttle (numbered 500) links Bolton Bus Station, Bolton railway station

Bolton railway station

Bolton Interchange is a transport interchange combining the railway station and a four stand bus station in the town of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. The station is located on the Manchester spur of the West Coast Main Line and is managed by Northern Rail...

 with the town's shops and attractions. The Stockport Metroshuttle (numbered 300) is the re-branded Stockport Shuttle bus, which links Stockport Bus Station, Stockport railway station

Stockport railway station

Stockport railway station is in Greater Manchester, England, 8 miles south-east of Manchester Piccadilly station on the West Coast Main Line from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston. It was opened on 15 February 1843 by the Manchester and Birmingham Railway, following completion of the large...

 and the Tesco

Tesco

Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...

 Extra store with the town's shops and attractions.

History

Manchester's Metroshuttle first began operating in September 2002 and replaced the previous Centreline city centre operation. First Manchester

First Manchester

First Manchester is one of the bus companies serving Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It forms part of FirstGroup, a company operating transport services across the British Isles and in North America...

 was chosen by GMPTE to operate the service and still operates it currently. Two routes were introduced, numbers 1 and 2. The service was extremely successful. Number 3 was introduced in September 2005 and links additional areas of the City centre.

Partnership

Manchester's Metroshuttle is a partnership

Partnership

A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...

 between GMPTE, Manchester City Council

Manchester City Council

Manchester City Council is the local government authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. It is composed of 96 councillors, three for each of the 32 electoral wards of Manchester. Currently the council is controlled by the Labour Party and is led by...

, National Car Parks

National Car Parks

National Car Parks is the United Kingdom’s largest private car park operator, with over 200,000 spaces across more than 700 locations in towns and cities, railway stations and at airports....

 and the property developer Allied London. The service is completely zero-fare (free) and does not require any tickets or passes. The service is also partially supported by advertising. First Manchester provides a publicity contribution. The free service costs approximately £1.2million each year source: Buses Magazine

Routes

The Manchester Metroshuttle network consists of three services, each operated by First Manchester

First Manchester

First Manchester is one of the bus companies serving Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It forms part of FirstGroup, a company operating transport services across the British Isles and in North America...

. The services were originally operated using a dedicated fleet of 18 Optare Solo

Optare Solo

The Optare Solo is a low-floor midibus manufactured by Optare in Leeds, UK since 1997. The name "Solo" is a play on the low-floor status of the bus, the manufacturer believing its vehicle having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm with kneeling suspension.The innovative...

 minibuses with route branding applied for all services, Route 1 (orange), Route 2 (green), Route 3 (purple). Some Solos feature a "Metroshuttle spare" livery, consisting of silver-grey in place of the route colours. The buses were replaced by 20 new Optare Versa

Optare Versa

The Optare Versa is a midibus built by Optare in its Leeds factory. It was officially launched in Britain at the Euro Bus Expo 2006 at the NEC, Birmingham, on 7 November 2006, with the first order of 25 buses being placed by Stagecoach on the same day....

 vehicles, which were built in 2010 at the Optare

Optare

Optare plc is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds and Blackburn, UK. The company operates from three main business units, Bus Manufacturing, Coach Sales and Unitec....

 factory near Leeds, which were designed to be bigger and more eco-friendly than the previous vehicles, as the buses are electric hybrids

Hybrid electric vehicle

A hybrid electric vehicle is a type of hybrid vehicle and electric vehicle which combines a conventional internal combustion engine propulsion system with an electric propulsion system. The presence of the electric powertrain is intended to achieve either better fuel economy than a conventional...

. The buses were originally scheduled for a September 2010 introduction but were finally brought into service in November 2010 . Most Metroshuttle bus stops also share the same route colour of the appropriate bus stopping there.

Metroshutle Route One	Metroshutle Route Two	Metroshutle Route Three
Piccadilly Rail Station Piccadilly/Chatham St - for Piccadilly Gardens Piccadilly Gardens Piccadilly Gardens is a green space in Manchester city centre, England, situated at one end of Market Street and on the edge of the Northern Quarter... Charlotte St/Portland St - for Chorlton Street Coach Station Charlotte St/Mosley St - for City Art Gallery and Chinatown Chinatown, Manchester Chinatown, Manchester is an ethnic enclave within the city centre of Manchester. It is second largest Chinatown in the United Kingdom and the third largest in Europe. It is located in east central Manchester, and situated next to the Gay Village... King Street King Street, Manchester King Street is one of the most important thoroughfares of the city of Manchester, England. Once the centre of the north-west banking industry it is now predominantly an affluent shopping area.-History:...  - for Albert Square Albert Square, Manchester Albert Square is a public square in the centre of Manchester, England.It is dominated by its largest building, Manchester Town Hall , a Victorian Gothic building by Alfred Waterhouse...  and Manchester Town Hall Manchester Town Hall Manchester Town Hall is a Victorian-era, Neo-gothic municipal building in Manchester, England. The building functions as the ceremonial headquarters of Manchester City Council and houses a number of local government departments.... John Dalton Street - for John Rylands Library John Rylands Library The John Rylands Library is a Victorian Gothic building on Deansgate in Manchester, England. The library, which opened to the public in 1900, was founded by Mrs Enriqueta Augustina Rylands in memory of her late husband, John Rylands... Bridge Street* Gartside Street* Spinningfields Spinningfields Spinningfields is a large business, retail and residential development in Manchester, England that lies in the western portion of the City Centre, between south Deansgate and the River Irwell. The Spinningfields complex is the masterplan of Allied London Properties, a London-based property... * Deansgate Deansgate Deansgate is a main road through the city centre of Manchester, England. It runs roughly north–south in a near straight route through the western part of the city centre and is the longest road in the city centre at over one mile long.... /John Rylands Library* King Street West Barton Arcade Barton Arcade Barton Arcade, Deansgate, Manchester, is a small Victorian shopping arcade between Deansgate and St Ann's Square. The arcade was listed as a Grade II* listed building on the 25 January 1972...  - for House of Fraser House of Fraser House of Fraser is a British department store group with over 60 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891 it was known as Fraser & Sons. The company grew steadily during the early 20th century, but after the Second...  and St Annes Square St Marys Gate - for Harvey Nichols Harvey Nichols Harvey Nichols, founded in 1813, is an upmarket department store chain. Its original store is in London. Founded in 1813 as a linen shop, it sells many international brands of clothing for women and men, fashion accessories, beauty products, wine and food... , Marks and Spencer and Triangle Cross Street - for Manchester Arndale Manchester Arndale Manchester Arndale is a large shopping centre in Manchester, England. The centre was built in the 1970s when many other cities were constructing large malls. Manchester Arndale is the largest of a chain of Arndale Centres built across the UK in the 1960s and 1970s... King Street York Street - for Piccadilly Gardens and Mosley Street Piccadilly Plaza Central Coach Station Chorlton Street Piccadilly Rail Station Operator: First Manchester Times: 0700-1800 Monday-Saturday, every 6 minutes 1800-1900 (or 1800-2100 November and December only) Monday-Saturday, every 10 minutes 1000-1800 Sunday, every 10 minutes	Shudehill Interchange - for The Printworks The Printworks The Printworks is an entertainment venue, located on Withy Grove in Manchester city centre, England. It opened in 2000 and was launched with fireworks and a radio roadshow featuring many local and international acts, headlined by Lionel Richie....   Manchester Victoria - for Victoria Train Station, Urbis Urbis Urbis is an exhibition centre located in Manchester, England. From 2002 to 2010, the centre hosted changing exhibits on popular culture topics including urban living, art, music, fashion, photography and videogames alongside talks, gigs and special events....  and MEN Arena  Manchester Cathedral Manchester Cathedral Manchester Cathedral is a medieval church on Victoria Street in central Manchester and is the seat of the Bishop of Manchester. The cathedral's official name is The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George in Manchester... Barton Arcade Barton Arcade Barton Arcade, Deansgate, Manchester, is a small Victorian shopping arcade between Deansgate and St Ann's Square. The arcade was listed as a Grade II* listed building on the 25 January 1972...  - for House of Fraser and St Annes Square John Rylands Library John Rylands Library The John Rylands Library is a Victorian Gothic building on Deansgate in Manchester, England. The library, which opened to the public in 1900, was founded by Mrs Enriqueta Augustina Rylands in memory of her late husband, John Rylands...  - for Spinningfields The Great Northern Warehouse The Great Northern Warehouse The Great Northern Warehouse is a former railway goods warehouse building of the Great Northern Railway, which has been redeveloped as a car park and leisure complex. The building is located at the junction of Deansgate and Peter Street in Manchester city centre, England...  - for Manchester Central (Conference Centre) and Great Northern Leisure & Shopping Castlefield Castlefield Castlefield is an inner city area of Manchester, in North West England. The conservation area which bears its name is bounded by the River Irwell, Quay Street, Deansgate and the Chester Road. It was the site of the Roman era fort of Mamucium or Mancunium which gave its name to Manchester...   - for Beetham Tower Deansgate Station - for Castlefield Gallery, Deansgate Locks and Deansgate-Castlefield Metrolink station Medlock St/Grand Island Medlock St/Mancunian Way Hulme Street - for University of Manchester University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...  and Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester Metropolitan University is a university in North West England. Its headquarters and central campus is in the city of Manchester, but there are outlying facilities in the county of Cheshire. It is the third largest university in the United Kingdom in terms of student numbers, behind the... Oxford Road - for BBC BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...  Manchester Manchester Oxford Road Station - for Cornerhouse and Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, Manchester The Palace Theatre, Manchester, is one of the main theatres in Manchester, England. It is situated on Oxford Street, on the north-east corner of the intersection with Whitworth Street. The Palace and its 'sister' theatre the Manchester Opera House on Quay Street are operated by the same parent... Whitworth St West The Haçienda The Haçienda Fac 51 Haçienda was a nightclub and music venue in Manchester, England. It became most famous during the "Madchester" years of the late 1980s and early 1990s, during the 1990s it was labelled the most famous club in the world by Newsweek magazine...  - for Bridgewater Hall Bridgewater Hall The Bridgewater Hall is an international concert venue in Manchester city centre, England. It cost around £42 million to build and currently hosts over 250 performances a year.... Deansgate Station  Liverpool Road for Castlefield Arena Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, England, is a large museum devoted to the development of science, technology, and industry with emphasis on the city's achievements in these fields...  - for Museum of Science and Industry and Air & Space Museum Lower Byron St - for Granada TV and Manchester Opera House Manchester Opera House The Opera House in Quay Street, Manchester, England is a 1,920 seater commercial touring theatre which plays host to touring musicals, ballet, concerts and a Christmas pantomime. It is the sister to the Palace Theatre which is a similar venue in nearby Oxford Street at its junction with Whitworth... Spinningfields Deansgate/John Rylands Library King Street West Barton Arcade Barton Arcade Barton Arcade, Deansgate, Manchester, is a small Victorian shopping arcade between Deansgate and St Ann's Square. The arcade was listed as a Grade II* listed building on the 25 January 1972...  - for St Annes Square St Mary's Gate Corporation Street - for Manchester Arndale, Urbis, Printworks and Victoria Station Shudehill Interchange Operator: First Manchester Times: 0700-1900 Monday-Saturday, every 10 minutes 1000-1800 Sunday, every 10 minutes	Piccadilly Rail Station Piccadilly/Chatham St - for Piccadilly Gardens Charlotte St/Portland St - for Chorlton Street Coach Station Portland St/CUBE Oxford Street/St Peter's Square - for Manchester Central Library Manchester Central Library Manchester Central Library is a circular library south of the extended Town Hall in Manchester, England. It acts as the headquarters of the Manchester Library & Information Service, which also consists of 22 other community libraries.Designed by E... Peter Street - for Great Northern and Manchester Central (Conference Centre) Quay Street/Opera House Quay Street/Granada TV New Quay Street - for MANCAT Salford Central Railway Station Gartside Street Spinningfields - for John Rylands Library Peter Street Mount Street - for Central Library and St Peter's Square Albert Square Town Hall City Art Gallery - for Chinatown Princess Street Whitworth Street - for Palace Theatre, City College and Chorlton Street Coach Station Piccadilly Rail Station Operator: First Manchester Times: 0700-1900 Monday-Saturday, every 10 minutes No service on Sundays

* denotes peak hours only

History

Bolton's Metroshuttle first began operating on 17 November 2008 and follows a similar operation to Manchester's Metroshuttle and is running on a 12-month trial. Bluebird

Bluebird Bus & Coach

Bluebird Bus and Coach is a bus operator based in Middleton in Greater Manchester. The company was formed in 1988 by three members of the Dunstan family)...

 was chosen by GMITA to operate the service. . The company ran the service until 25 January 2010, when local company Maytree Travel

Maytree Travel

Maytree Travel is a bus operator based in Bolton in Greater Manchester. The company was formed in 2008 by owner Gary Hawthorne, who took over the Bolton operations of Tyrer Bus, who first starting operating in Bolton in 2007. The company now has over 20 routes and runs in the Bolton and Wigan areas...

 took over the operation of the service.. The service has been re-routed on two occasions, the first to serve the Sainsbury's supermarket in the town, and then again in January 2011, when the service was given a 12 month contract extension and re-routed to serve the university

University of Bolton

The University of Bolton is a university in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It has around 14,000 students across all sites and courses, with 700 academic and professional staff. Around 70% of its students come from Bolton and the North West region...

. This route change saw the service reduced from every 10 minutes to every 15 minutes.

Partnership

Bolton's Metroshuttle is a partnership between GMPTA and Bolton Council

Metropolitan Borough of Bolton

The Metropolitan Borough of Bolton is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Bolton, but covers a far larger area which includes Blackrod, Farnworth, Horwich, Kearsley and Westhoughton, and a suburban and rural element from the West Pennine...

. The service is completely zero-fare (free) and does not require any tickets or passes. The free service will cost approximately £200,000 per year.

Route

Bolton's Metroshuttle originally consisted of two 25-seater Enviro200 single decker buses, with black and red route branding, although this has changed following Maytree Travel taking over the service, who replaced it with a blue branding.
The service starts on Newport Street, outside Bolton Interchange, before running anti-clockwise around the town centre using existing stops within the town centre before returning to Newport Street.

Route 500

Newport Street - for Bolton Interchange / Train Station Bolton railway station Bolton Interchange is a transport interchange combining the railway station and a four stand bus station in the town of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. The station is located on the Manchester spur of the West Coast Main Line and is managed by Northern Rail... Sainsbury's Superstore Bradshawgate #1 - for Bolton College Bolton College Bolton College is a further education college located in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England.The college is primarily based in Bolton, but operates a number of Community Learning Centres in the surrounding area... Bradshawgate #2 - for Crompton Place Shopping Centre Deansgate Bridge Street - for Market Place Shopping Centre St George's Road Knowsley Street - for Market Place Shopping Centre Black Horse Street stop CC - for Bolton Bus Station , Market and Octagon Theatre Deane Road - for university Derby Street - for Morrisons Black Horse Street Newport Street - for Morrisons Newport Street - for Bolton Interchange Operator: Maytree Travel Times: 0900-1700 Monday-Saturday, every 15 minutes

History

Stockport's Metroshuttle first began operating during Christmas 2007 as a complementary shuttle designed to help ferry the elderly and disabled around Stockport more easily. It was reintroduced on November 29, 2008 as permanent fixture. Branded the Stockport Shuttle Bus it was operated by Solutions SK on behalf of Stockport Council

Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council

Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council is the local authority for the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The council is currently in no overall control since the 2011 local elections when the Liberal Democrats lost their majority. The Liberal Democrats now have 31...

, before operations switched to Freshfield Coaches the following month, after it was revealed that SolutionsSK had been operating the service with a freight licence. The service was re-branded in August 2009 to form part of the Metroshuttle network, and was given a new livery to mark the change. Prior to this, the fleet (consisting of Optare Solos) were unpainted and fairly run down, even lacking roll blinds. The fleet was replaced with new Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 darts, fitted with digital displays. In 2010, the operator of the service changed, with Oldham

Oldham

Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...

-based company Swan's Travel taking over the service on a short-term basis, before being replaced by Bluebird

Bluebird Bus & Coach

Bluebird Bus and Coach is a bus operator based in Middleton in Greater Manchester. The company was formed in 1988 by three members of the Dunstan family)...

 in October 2010.. Bluebird ran the service until March 2011, when the service was taken over by Stagecoach Manchester, who run the majority of services in Stockport.

Route

Stockport's Metroshuttle runs in two loops around Stockport town centre and use existing stops, as well as dedicated stops in areas where other services do not operate within the town centre. The service starts from Stockport Bus Station and runs to Stockport railway station via the Grand Central Leisure Complex before returning to the bus station then via Mersey Square, Bridgefield Street, Warren Street (for Sainsbury's and Asda

Asda

Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...

), Great Portland Street to Tesco before returning via Knightsbridge, Warren Street (for Sainsbury's and Asda again), Millgate, Churchgate, Little Underbank and Great Underbank to Stockport Bus Station.

Route 300

Stockport Bus Station (Stand H (Monday-Saturday) or Stand T (Sundays)) - for Hat Museum St Peter's Square High Street Piccadilly - for Magistrates Court Edward Street - for Stockport Town Hall Stockport railway station - for railway station and Grand Central Leisure Complex Exchange Street - for Garick Theatre Stockport Bus Station (Stand P) Mersey Square - for Merseyway Shopping Centre Bridgefield Street Princes Street Warren Street - for Sainsbury's and Asda Great Portwood Street - for Peel Centre and retail park Tesco Extra Great Portwood Street - for Peel Centre and retail park Knightsbridge Bridge Street Warren Street - for Sainsbury's and Asda Churchgate - for Staircase House and Stockport Market Wellington Street Lower Hillgate Great Underbank Chestergate - for Air Raid Shelter Stockport Bus Station (stand H or T) Operator: Stagecoach Manchester Times: 0800-1800 Monday-Saturday, every 12 minutes 1030-1700 Sunday, every 12 minutes

Future

Following the success of Metroshuttle in Manchester, GMPTA have been studying the feasibility of introducing Metroshuttle routes in other towns in Greater Manchester, to provide a high-quality town centre bus service that links key public transport nodes and car parks with the main retail, commercial, leisure and cultural destinations within town centres.

Other towns like Bury

Bury

Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...

, Oldham

Oldham

Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...

 and Wigan

Wigan

Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...

 had been mentioned to gain routes, however, the chances of this happening were reduced following the rejection of the Manchester Congestion Charge in December 2008.

External links

• Bolton, Manchester and Stockport Metroshuttle Information page (GMPTE)
• Bolton Metroshuttle Route Map (GMPTE)
• Manchester Metroshuttle Route Map (GMPTE)
• Stockport Metroshuttle Route Map (GMPTE)