Greater Manchester bus route 192: Difference between revisions
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== Route == |
== Route == |
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=== Full route === |
=== Full route === |
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The service begins near to [[ |
The service begins near to [[Piccadilly Gardens]] on the road towards [[Manchester Piccadilly station]]; on the return to Manchester, it terminates in Piccadilly Gardens itself. From here, it runs south-east towards the [[A6 road (England)|A6]]. It passes first through [[Ardwick]], then [[Longsight]], [[Levenshulme]], [[Heaton Chapel]] and [[Stockport]]. Finally it passes through [[Heaviley]], [[Great Moor]], [[Stepping Hill]] and [[Hazel Grove]], |
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terminating at a bus terminus near to the Rising Sun pub. |
terminating at a bus terminus near to the Rising Sun pub. |
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Revision as of 19:09, 20 January 2010
Greater Manchester bus route 192 is a frequent and popular bus route, operated by Stagecoach Manchester. It carries over nine million passengers each year, and is often considered to be the busiest bus route in the country. Running every 10 minutes for the full length of the route, and every 10 minutes between Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport, Levenshulme and Manchester, the route is mainly on the A6, serving Manchester, Ardwick, Longsight, Levenshulme, Heaton Chapel, Stockport, Heaviley, Great Moor, Stepping Hill and Hazel Grove. It is the fastest bus route between Stockport and Manchester, Stockport being one of the largest settlements in Greater Manchester. The A6 road, consisting of Stockport Road, Wellington Road North and South, Buxton Road and London Road, is home to hundreds of businesses, public services, and homes. It serves relatively poorer areas such as Longsight and Levenshulme, which gives the service its popularity.
The route dates from 1889, as a tram service eventually numbered 35. Renumbered to 92 in 1948 when it became a bus route, it was operated by Manchester and Stockport Corporations. In 1969, it was renumbered 192 following government reorganisation and the establishment of SELNEC (later GMPTE). With bus deregulation in 1986, the service was operated by a variety of companies, the most prominent being GM Buses. This later became GM Buses South, and soon after was bought by the Stagecoach Group, becoming Stagecoach Manchester who have operated services since.
The numerous operators on the busy route became famous for "bus wars", where the different companies fought each other for customers often at the expense of health and safety which caused one company, UK North, to have its licence terminated. The night services in particular have become famous for anti-social behaviour, and the route was one of the first to have CCTV cameras installed on the buses.
History
This history of this service lies back to the days of horse trams, when a service from Torkington Road, approximately half a mile from the Rising Sun in Hazel Grove, commenced in 1889. Operated by Stockport Carriage and Tramway Co Ltd, with vehicles purchased from the Manchester Carriage and Tramways Company. By 1905, the Council had purchased the line, and electirfied it. By 1911 the line was completed to Hazel Grove, though still not a through service to Manchester. When the full route to Manchester commenced, it was initially numbered 35[1], with the Manchester terminus at Exchange. It actually received the number 92 on 10 January 1949, when tramway service was withdrawn, and the Manchester terminus moved to Piccadilly.[2] It was owned and operated jointly by Manchester and Stockport Corporations.[3] On 1 November 1969, following the Transport Act 1968,[4] both municipal operations, along with others, merged to form SELNEC. Within a short space of time, the route number was changed to 192.[4][5] Over the next 17 years, the operator's title changed form from SELNEC, to Greater Manchester Transport, to Greater Manchester Buses.
Following bus deregulation in Great Britain on 26 October 1986, the route was taken over by GM Buses, and other operators such as Finglands and Wall's Coaches introduced rival 192 services. On 31 December 1993, GM Buses was split into two, GM Buses North and GM South Buses, the latter of which became the main operator of the 192 route.[6]
In February 1996, GM South Buses was bought by the Stagecoach Group and was renamed to Stagecoach Manchester, who have operated buses on the 192 route since then.[7]
Route
Full route
The service begins near to Piccadilly Gardens on the road towards Manchester Piccadilly station; on the return to Manchester, it terminates in Piccadilly Gardens itself. From here, it runs south-east towards the A6. It passes first through Ardwick, then Longsight, Levenshulme, Heaton Chapel and Stockport. Finally it passes through Heaviley, Great Moor, Stepping Hill and Hazel Grove, terminating at a bus terminus near to the Rising Sun pub.
Part routes
In addition to the full route, which is run every 10 minutes or more during the day, there are numerous "part-routes" that are run: every 10 minutes between Stockport and Manchester all day; every 10 minutes between Levenshulme and Manchester in the afternoon and early evening; and journeys in the early morning and late night between Hazel Grove and Stockport. A further hospital bus serving Stepping Hill Hospital grounds also runs every 10 minutes all day.
Night service
A night service is provided on the 192 route on the full route on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays every 10 minutes, until 3:40 am (in Manchester) and 2:55 am (in Hazel Grove).
Former routes
The 192 used to extend to serve Poynton, but this has since been taken over by other services.
Bus wars
In March 2006, UK North decided to increase the amount of buses by 12 per hour running on the 192 route.[8] The route was already well-used and busy with buses coming at least every 10 minutes. Stagecoach, the other operator, responded by increasing services too, and introducing their Magic Bus service along the route to compete with the lower-priced UK North.[9] These actions resulted in the route becoming overly congested to the point of being dangerous,[10] and forced buses to queue behind each other waiting for passengers.[5] The situation ceased in December 2006 when UK North had its bus licence terminated due to concerns over the safety of its vehicles, and the standard of training given to its drivers.[11]
Fame
According to the Stagecoach Group, the route is the busiest in Britain, with around 9 million passengers carried annually,[12] and GMPTE has designated the A6 as a quality bus corridor.[13] The 192 is also noted by Stagecoach as being a problematic bus route with regards to anti-social behaviour, and CCTV cameras were installed on them.[14] In October 2008, the 192 route was the first in the country to have solar-powered on-street ticket machines.[12] The machines cost around £80,000 and were installed by Stagecoach and GMPTE for a 12-month trial, enabling tickets to be bought beforehand, saving time when boarding the bus.[12]
The 192 bus is the subject of a musical album by singer Dave Hulston, who was born in Longsight. The album is named "Willow and the 192" and according to the Manchester Evening News was set to be released in the summer of 2007.[5]
References
- ^ Ian Yearsley and Philip Groves, The Manchester Tramways, TPC 1988.
- ^ Postelthwaite, Harry (2008). Stockport Corporation. Venture Publications. ISBN 978-1-905304-17-2.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ "Eyewitness in Manchester: Exploring Levenshulme". Manchester Online. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
- ^ a b "Key Dates in Greater Manchester's transport history". Greater Manchester Transport Society. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
- ^ a b c "192 bus immortalised in song". Manchester Evening News. Guardian Media Group. 31 March 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
- ^ "Greater Manchester Transport And Beyond". The SELNEC Preservation Society. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
- ^ Tooher, Patrick (26 February 1996). "Pensioners lead protest at pounds 41m Stagecoach takeover". The Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
- ^ "Minutes of a meeting of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority held on 13 April 2006" (PDF). GMITA. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
- ^ "Improved Stagecoach service on the 192". Stagecoach Manchester. 28 March 2006. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
- ^ "Council concerns over 'bus war'". BBC News Online. BBC. 3 April 2006. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
- ^ "Bus companies banned from roads". BBC News Online. BBC. 22 December 2006. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
- ^ a b c "New solar-powered on-street ticket machines for Manchester". Stagecoach Group. 10 October 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
- ^ "Greater Manchester bus route investment reaches £80 million". GMPTE. 16 March 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
- ^ "The Big Brother buses". Stockport Express. Guardian Media Group. 29 November 2001. Retrieved 8 May 2009.