New operators have been found for most services affected by the closure of a bus company Little Gem last weekend.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) was advised by the owner of Little Gem – who operated a range of school and local bus services last Friday– that the company would stop running contracted services the following day.
Cover was arranged where possible and new emergency contracts – which will run for 13 weeks while a more permanent solution is explored – will see Belle Vue take over the 280 and 288 bus service, D&G the 260, 261 and 262 and First the 336, 337 and 389.
TfGM is continuing to explore options relating to the 375 service after no operator bid for it and is working to limit the impact on residents in Upper Hazel Grove, Hawk Green and Mellor in particular, as they are most affected due to a lack of alternative bus or other public transport services.
The bid to replace 44, 84 or 217 bus services was more than £500,000 higher than the previous contracts (for the 13-week period). As such, and with a range of alternative options for users of these services, no immediate replacement is planned.
A detailed page with information to help passengers plan their journey is available on TfGM’s website.
Buses will continue to run to all schools previously served under the Little Gem contracts.
TfGM’s deputy director of bus services, Alison Chew, said: “We understand the concerns of passengers reliant on those services previously operated by Little Gem and have worked hard to get them covered in the short and medium term.
“While we have been able to cover most of the services, there are some that will not be replaced right away – either because we’ve not had any bids from operators or the cost to run them is unjustifiably high.
“In most cases there are several alternative options for people to use, and where there isn’t – or the choice is more limited – I would like to reassure everyone that we are still looking at a range of other options to reduce the impact on you.
“We’ll continue to update people with any changes, and I would encourage people to visit our website for the latest information.”
