Greater Manchester buses 

County advice overview

Bus operators in Greater Manchester have made many buses accessible in compliance with the standards required by government regulations.

This includes the use of ramps, display screens, audio-visual ‘next stop’ announcements and low-floor buses.

You can find more information on the Transport for Greater Manchester website.

Key tips

If you have reduced mobility, or a disability, where possible plan your journey in advance so that you know:

• If the destination stop is accessible, and any arrangements you may need to make for onward travel
• Which mobility aids you will be travelling with. (Contact the bus provider if you are unsure whether you can travel with your scooter/wheelchair.)

It may also be worth considering:

• Where the nearest bus stop is and which bus number you will need
• What method of payment is accepted
• If the ticket can be bought online
• Which destination stop you need. (The bus driver should be happy to help.)

For further information, contact the Central England and Greater Manchester Hubs Mobility Advice Service.

Operators

Go North West

Accessibility

Diamond Bus

Accessibility

Run local bus services across Manchester.

Arriva Bus

Customers with Disabilities

First Bus

Bus accessibility

Stagecoach

Accessibility

Help with cost 

Older Person’s Bus Pass

Concessionary bus passes are available for older people who have reached state pension age and are resident in Greater Manchester. The Older Person’s Bus Pass entitles you to free travel on bus services throughout England from 9.30am to 11.00pm, Monday to Friday, and all day at weekends and on public holidays.

You can also choose to pay a nominal amount to add tram and train to your pass for further benefits within Greater Manchester.

View the eligibility criteria and apply for an Older Person’s Bus Pass.

Disabled Person’s Bus Pass

If you have a disability, you may be entitled to a Disabled Person’s Bus Pass. There is no upper age restriction for the Disabled Person’s Bus Pass. 

View the eligibility criteria and apply for a Disabled Person’s Bus Pass.

Special assistance

The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has introduced the Journey Assistance Card Scheme. A range of cards are available for passengers with disabilities or impairments which may not be immediately obvious to those around them. 

The cards cover disabilities such as deafness, visual impairment, or simply can advise the driver to allow the passenger to take their seat before pulling away from the stop.

They are available from travel shops, or you can download one via the websites below.

• Stagecoach – Journey Assistance Cards 
• Arriva – Journey Assistance Cards
• First Bus – Journey Assistance Cards

Diamond Bus 

Passengers with visual or mobility impairments can download the Diamond Bus app to be alerted when a desired bus stop is approaching. 

https://www.diamondbuses.com/about-us/accessibility-on-our-buses/

Travelling with mobility equipment

Wheelchairs

Operators such as Diamond Bus, Go North West and Arriva operate low-floor buses within their fleet.

Low-floor buses have a dedicated area for wheelchair users; other passengers are required to give up the space for wheelchair users.

When your low floor bus arrives at the bus stop, you can ask the driver to lower the step or ramp to allow you to board.

Wheelchair users have priority over everyone else for the use of the designated wheelchair space, since this is the only place in which they can travel safely.

Scooters

Not all bus operators can carry mobility scooters onboard. If you are a mobility scooter user, you should check with the bus operator in advance of travel.

Motorised mobility scooters are not permitted on Diamond vehicles.

First Bus, Go North West, Arriva and Stagecoach allow mobility scooters onboard accessible buses that are fitted with a ramp. You will need to apply for a standard ‘permit for travel’ prior to your scooter being carried. Mobility scooter users must be assessed and receive on-bus training from the operator before travelling on the bus for the first time. 

To apply for a scooter permit:

• Contact Arriva: 0344 800 4411
• Contact Stagecoach: 0345 241 8000
• Contact Go North West: 0330 1234 121
• Contact First Bus: 0345 646 0707

Assistance dogs

All recognised assistance dogs are allowed to travel for free on Greater Manchester buses. 

Routes and timetable links

When planning a journey by bus, things to consider might be “Where is my nearest bus stop?” and “What bus number do I need?”. You may also want to think about buying your ticket, what it will cost, can you pay by cash or card and can you buy it in advance online. Be aware that online tickets for buses are often non-refundable if you cannot make your journey.

Buses can only stop at marked bus stops, so you need to be sure where you are getting off in advance. If you are not sure, the bus driver should be happy to help you. You may need to consider if the nearest bus stop is accessible if you are travelling with a scooter or wheelchair.

Local bus providers have journey planners and will be able to help you with information about your journey.

Stagecoach

Journey planner, maps, timetables.

Arriva

Plan a journey, services, timetables.

Timetables

Transport for Greater Manchester 

Provide an online journey planner.

Traveline

Traveline is a public transport information and journey planning service. It is a partnership of transport companies, local authorities and passenger groups which have come together to bring you routes and times for all travel in Great Britain by bus, rail, coach and ferry and to provide it in as many different ways as possible.

You can use Traveline to plan your journey and find timetables, before you travel or during your journey. Contact: 0871 200 22 33.

NextBuses

The national NextBuses website will help you search for bus timetables and your nearest bus stop. You can put in your postcode to find your nearest stop and the next bus due. 

SMS text: For live and scheduled arrival information for specific bus stops, text the short code (for example, brkdwtg) shown on the information panel at that stop to 84268 (a charge applies for each return text, on top of the cost of the customer’s initial text message request). 

BusTimes

The BusTimes.org website also provides bus, coach and ferry transport information (under the heading ‘Map’, select Track buses and find bus stops). From here, you can track buses across the UK, access timetables and next departure information, view maps, bus stop details and more.