County Advice overview
Bus operators in Greater Manchester are steadily making more of their buses as accessible as possible in compliance with the standards required by government regulations. This includes but is not limited to the use of ramps, display screens, audio-visual ‘next stop’ announcements and low floor buses. See the website for further information Accessible public transport | Transport for Greater Manchester (tfgm.com)
Key tips for Planning your journey
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. Ask the driver to let you know when your stop is coming up. You may need to consider if the nearest bus stop is accessible if you are travelling with a scooter or wheelchair.
My journey Manchester Plan a journey | Transport for Greater Manchester (tfgm.com)
Can help with advice about travel choices in your area that may result in saving you time and money.
First Buses have produced cards called Extra Help to Travel cards and Safe Journey Cards for people who have a disability to use on their buses. They are available from Travel shops, or you can download one using the link below:
https://www.firstbus.co.uk/uploads/node_images/Extra-Help-To-Travel-journey-assistance-cards-june-20-v2.pdf
Journey planning
Local bus providers have journey planners and will be able to help you with information regarding your journey.
Transport for Greater Manchester have a journey planner available online Plan a journey | Transport for Greater Manchester (tfgm.com)
Traveline 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, and coach to provide it in as many different ways as possible. Plan Your Journey | Traveline
You can check when the next buses in the Manchester area are due at your chosen stop here: Plan a journey | Transport for Greater Manchester (tfgm.com)
If you are travelling outside the county, the national Next Buses 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 https://nextbuses.mobi/
Operators:
Go North West
Run local bus services across Manchester.
Go North West – Go all over Greater Manchester with Go North West!
Diamond
Accessibility on our buses | Diamond Bus (diamondbuses.com)
Run local bus services across Manchester.
Arriva
Customers with Disabilities | Hidden Disabilities Assistance Cards | Arriva Bus
First Bus
Stagecoach
Accessibility and affordability – Stagecoach Group
Ring & Ride accessible minibuses
Ring & Ride accessible minibuses | Transport for Greater Manchester (tfgm.com)
Help with cost – Concessionary Travel
Older Person’s Pass
Concessionary bus passes are available for older people who have reached state pension age and resident in Manchester. The older person’s bus pass entitles you to free travel on bus services throughout England from 9.30am to midnight Monday to Friday and all day at Weekends and on public holidays.
You can also choose to pay £10 to add tram and train to your pass for further benefits within Greater Manchester.
For further information Travel pass for older people | Transport for Greater Manchester (tfgm.com)
Residents of Greater Manchester can apply here:
20-0230_ENCTP_Pension_Age_App_Form_TfGM_2020_WEB.pdf (ctfassets.net)
Disabled Person’s Bus pass
If you have a disability, you may be entitled to a Disabled Person’s bus pass Residents of Greater Manchester. There is no upper age restriction for the disabled person’s bus pass.
Information on eligibility is available here:
Travel pass for disabled people | Transport for Greater Manchester (tfgm.com)
Residents of Greater Manchester can apply here:
17-1223_TfGM_ENCTP_Walking_Diff_or_RDL_Application_Form_WEB.pdf (ctfassets.net)
Travel vouchers
Travel vouchers are an alternative discount for travel than the disabled person’s bus pass, it is for those who are unable to use a bus service but are able to access taxis, private hire vehicles and community transport schemed like Ring & Ride.
Who can apply?
Travel vouchers are an alternative to the bus pass. You cannot have both. To use community transport services, it is recommended you apply for a disabled person’s bus pass.
You can apply here:
Travel vouchers for disabled people | Transport for Greater Manchester (tfgm.com)
How it works
You can buy travel vouchers and use them instead of cash to pay for taxis, private hire vehicles and community transport schemes anywhere in Greater Manchester. Using travel vouchers works out as a quarter of the normal travel cost. For example, you get £20 worth of travel vouchers for just £5.
You can buy up to a maximum of £120 worth of vouchers per year (to use from April to March). You can buy these all in one go or purchase these throughout the year. Please order any vouchers you need for March by the end of February. On 1 March each year, we start to sell vouchers for the following year, to allow enough time to process and post orders for 1 April.
A sheet of vouchers costs £5 each (with a value of £20 of travel on each sheet). You can therefore purchase a maximum of 6 sheets a year (at a cost of £30 to you for £120 worth of travel). We are unable to sell less than £5 worth of travel vouchers at a time.
We are unable to give refunds for unused travel vouchers so you should only purchase as many vouchers as you need.
Travelling with mobility equipment
Wheelchairs and Scooters
All Diamond, Go North West, and Arriva buses are built for easy access with low floors.
All low floor buses have a dedicated area for wheelchair/scooter users; other passengers are required to give up the space for wheelchair/scooter users.
When your low floor bus arrives at the bus stop you can ask the driver to lower the step and/or ramp to allow you to board.
Wheelchair/scooter 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.
Arriva policy
Arriva accept 3 or 4 wheeled Class 2 scooters under the CPT Code for the use and acceptance of mobility scooters on low floor buses provided the scooter does not exceed 100cm long and 60cm wide with a turning circle of 120cm. Mobility scooters will only be carried on accessible buses that are fitted with a ramp provided they do not exceed the weight limit shown on the ramp. In some cases, our ability to carry scooters may be affected by specific factors relevant to the scooter model or accessible bus type.
If the bus is full or there is already a wheelchair/scooter user on board it may not be possible not be able to carry another wheelchair/scooter user. Permits are required to ensure the safety of using mobility scooters on board. Please contact the Customer Service team to arrange a scooter pass assessment on 0344 800 4411.
Go North West policy
We endeavour to make our vehicles inclusive to all of our customers and this includes making it as accessible as we can for disabled people and those with buggies. We are therefore working hard to ensure our entire fleet of buses meets the needs of those of our passengers who use wheelchairs or are in buggies. In addition, we operate in accordance with the Codes of Practice of the Confederation of Passenger Transport in relation to our passengers who use mobility scooters (the “Code”).
Diamond Policy
Wheelchair Access
All our buses are wheelchair accessible.
All our buses have an access ramp at the entrance, if you require the ramp to be lowered when you board or alight the bus, please ask your driver for assistance.
All of our buses have a dedicated wheelchair space.
Wheelchairs must be positioned with the brakes on and with the back of the chair against the backrest, aisles and gangways must be kept clear at all times.
Assistance Dogs
All recognised guide dogs and assistance dogs are allowed to travel for free on all Greater Manchester buses.