Overview

I have used the busway 6 days a week since it opened. It's guided from Leigh (numbered V1) to Ellenbrook. Buses from Atherton (numbered V2) join at Astley Street Exchange and then all continue on the East Lancs. Road into Manchester and back. Buses are run by First Manchester. Whilst buses stop at Piccadilly Gardens they don't stop at a central stop but terminate at Stevenson Square about 5 minutes walk away. The latter is the place to get on if you need a priority space as few people use it. However, it is not easy to get to and paving en route is less than ideal. All buses are double deckers. There are 2 tables upstairs; next stop visual displays upstairs and down plus audio and USB charging points. The scheme is overseen by TfGM who have responsibility for the stops and guided elements. It opened in April 2016 and at peak times can be standing room only. The bus stops on the guided element have a tactile at which the buses ought to stop. Upgraded stops elsewhere do not.

Transport & Parking

There are 3 park and ride car parks at East Bond Street in Leigh, Astley Street Exchange in Leigh and Wardley and an accessible toilet near to the stop at Leigh bus station. All are well used (bar Wardley) and have accessible parking. However, the latter remains inaccessible to many as they are frequently blocked by workmen and taxis and they are on a slight incline at Tyldesley Astley Street Exchange and a steeper incline at Wardley. Many of the remaining spaces are being used by staff at local businesses for all day parking rather than to use the bus services.

Access

STOPS Stops on the guided section are new. They have B&W screens on posts showing live bus data. In all but cloudy weather or night time these are unreadable because of screen glare and font size. As yet live data is unreliable but weekday buses run between 8 and 15 minutes apart depending on where you are. Pdf Timetables are available from TfGM but First have done their own, which is good for a first attempt. There is a tactile at the end of every stop on the guided element but these are poorly finished and not under a shelter. Every bus is supposed to stop at the tactile regardless of who is there but most are still failing on this. Many drivers deny it is a requirement. Every stop on the guided element has a shelter with perch style seating. Yellow bars stop you leaning back onto shelters, which could double as a mobility aid. These protrude too much and are uncomfortable for some users as the railings around stops are not contrasted and those next to the tactiles stop short of the kerb and have an unannounced drop which could injure. See pics. Stops off the guided bit have no tactiles or screens. Most have old shelters.

Toilets

This is a bus route. There are no public toilets or accessible toilets near any of the stops on the route bar Leigh bus station and various places near Manchester Piccadilly. I have yet to use any of the facilities at Leigh. There is a Costa Coffee about 1 minute away in the Spinning Jenny shopping centre. It has accessible toilet facilities but the route through to the back would be impossible if in a chair at any point there was a queue at the counter.

Staff

First Drivers were allegedly given extra customer service training prior to the opening. There's no evidence of the extra training. Even the drivers who pull up at a tactile at one stop will pull up short at the next stop. Visible disability is not a guarantee. On my first trip on day 2 there was a long cane user sat at the stop. It was highly visible as only 3 of us at the stop. The bus pulled up past the tactile! First ticket scanners are useless. They require you to put your hand through a small aperture. If you have a crutch or a chair then the driver is going to snatch your pass.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

BUSES There are 2 buses on the guided bit, the V1 and V2. They are purple and hard to see when off the guided bit. Bus numbers on the front are brightly lit but no more visible than previously thanks to using individual lights. Contrast internally is as okay as purple and grey can be but the post in front of the accessible space is unhelpful. There are 2 seats in front of that for the mobility impaired but labelling is too low and small and they're mostly used by other passengers. USB ports are fiddly with a hinged cap on those next to tables to make use harder. The table ones are located too close to your body. The accessible spaces and seats for the mobility impaired are the only ones without USBs. There is onboard wi-fi but 2 black spots on the Lancs. Audio announcements are clear but drivers can forget to turn them on. You only get the next stop immediately after the last one. No reminder. The stop screen downstairs is clear but scrolls pointlessly given most text fits on 1 screen, which is a problem for many VIs. Upstairs 1 is poorly lit and above the front window of the bus. It's generally unreadable, not least if you sit backwards at a table.

Photos