Cheshire East increases subsidy to £200,000 to keep 130 bus service running

130 Bus service -

Cheshire East Council has increased the subsidy it provides to keep the 130 bus service running.

The current D&G contract for the service, which runs between Macclesfield and Wythenshawe via Alderley Edge and Handforth, was due to end on 2 April.

D&G buses has been awarded the new contract, going forward, as it provided the 'most competitive bid' for the service.

The contract is for up to five years but will be reviewed annually to assess performance and value for money. The service receives an annual subsidy of £200,000 from the council – up from £75,000 previously.

The 130 route will serve existing stops between Macclesfield bus station and Wythenshawe Interchange, including Alderley Edge, Alderley Park, Wilmslow and Handforth. Buses will run hourly Mondays to Fridays and at a 90-minute frequency on Saturdays.

Councillor Craig Browne, chair of Cheshire East Council's highways and transport committee, said: "This is excellent news for our local communities – not just for bus users but also for local businesses and community facilities, such as for leisure and health.

"The council has increased the subsidy it provides to ensure this important bus route is maintained as part of Cheshire East's public transport network. The council's decision was made in the context of exceptionally challenging circumstances for commercial bus operations, both within the borough and nationwide.

"The return of passengers since the pandemic has been very slow, with current numbers only at about 65 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. This means most services are not financially sustainable in the long term – however, bus services are an essential lifeline for those who rely on them and it is important that we retain them wherever possible.

"At this stage, we have been able to retain this service without affecting any other bus services that are supported by the council. We believe that this support is necessary to retain core bus services for our communities, at least in the short term, to ensure that the fullest recovery from the impacts of the pandemic is made possible."

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Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

David Hoyle
Thursday 17th March 2022 at 4:21 pm
Everytime I see this bus heading from Handforth towards Wythenshawe it never has more than 2 or 3 people on it.
Jonathan Follows
Thursday 17th March 2022 at 5:08 pm
If Greater Manchester introduces its clean air charging zone, the bus in the picture would incur a charge of £60/day (it's not Euro-6 compliant). The date for the introduction this charge has been delayed from the original plan for May 2022, but the original tender included an amount from CEC to the bus operator to cover this charge. Is this amount included in the £200,000 and if not will CEC increase its subsidy by something like £56,000 annually to cover the charge when it is introduced in due course?
Kathleen Roberts
Thursday 17th March 2022 at 5:24 pm
Brilliant.
Roger Bagguley
Thursday 17th March 2022 at 5:44 pm
Of importance to people living on Lacey Green is that this service runs along Lacey Green Road at least. I will be interested in how many people living on Manchester Road use this service.

Alternate journeys will be much better than no service at all for Lacey Green residents.
Jonathan Follows
Sunday 20th March 2022 at 9:56 am
There is still no information about the new service, with its improved service on Saturdays, on either the D&G Web site or the CEC Web site.
Do they not want people to know about the improvements, and use the service?
Jonathan Follows
Monday 21st March 2022 at 1:46 pm
New timetable now at http://dgbus.co.uk/assets/130_2022-04-03.pdf

"From 3rd April times on service 130 will change on some journeys, and some additional journeys will be introduced. Buses will no longer serve Wythenshawe Hospital and will operate via a revised route between Handforth, Wythenshawe and Manchester Airport."
Howard Piltz
Wednesday 23rd March 2022 at 3:59 pm
Used the T2 free service this morning and it was very busy at Lacey Green. Doesn’t this tell Cheshire East anything? The 88, 130 and T2 are totally un-coordinated and with some careful thought could be re-arranged as a useful little network. If Tesco are prepared to pay for the T2 why couldn’t other businesses be encouraged to chip in a bit too ?