It was recently announced by Transdev, the company which operates the 467/468 “Trax” bus service that connects Bury, Fairfield Hospital and Rochdale along Rochdale Old Road that “due to funding for extra journeys from Transport for Greater Manchester coming to an end”, the service has been reduced to a 20-minute service from 29th October.
The news comes despite the recent Government announcement of a further £16.3 million being given to Greater Manchester to boost bus services in the region which is intended to allow local authorities to provide more regular and reliable services.
MP for Bury North, James Daly, has now launched a campaign seeking to reverse the decision to reduce the frequency of what is a vital bus service for many people, including being the primary route for public transport access to Fairfield Hospital.
James Daly said:
“The Government are delivering extensive investment in our local bus services which is incredibly important for people across Bury as buses are at the core of our town’s public transport network.”
This makes it all the more bizarre that Labour locally would choose to remove funding from this key service and make it less frequent. Especially given the 467/468 role in providing access to Fairfield Hospital.
So, I am now launching a campaign to urge TfGM to make use of some of this significant amount of Government funding to protect this key local service.”
Under the new timetable, buses will now run every 40 minutes on each route, combining to provide a 20-minute frequency along Rochdale Old Road.
Join the campaign to reverse these cuts and return to a 15 minute service by signing up below