Bee Network arrives in Abram after MP campaign
Extra buses are to be laid on for a Wigan township following a successful campaign by local politicians.
Makerfield MP Josh Simons and ward councillors Eunice Smethurst, Martyn Smethurst and Nazia Rehman, lobbied for services to be improved in the Abram areal.
And so now additional buses are set to run from Monday, October 27, supplementing the current Arriva service with Bee Network buses.
Residents had complained about the lack of reliability and regularity of the service and Mr Simons held a community meeting last year to discuss the problems and what was best to do about it.
Following meetings with Transport for Greater Manchester, and the presenting of a local petition, GMCA has now set up this additional service, which means that the 690 service will run half hourly, and will provide more connections to Golborne and Platt Bridge, from next week.
This is a short-term solution, and in the future, when Liverpool City Region Combined Authority moves into bus franchising, it is forecast that more work will be done to improve these routes alongside the Manchester Combined Authority Bee Network.
Mr Simons said: “I heard complaints about the bus service in Abram week in and week out from residents, so I promised I would do something about it.
"I’m very pleased that we’ve got this new bus route confirmed, making sure that young people can get home from school, residents can go shopping or get to doctors appointments and they are not having to suffer from an unreliable and inconvenient service.
“So many people got involved, signed my petition and joined the call, and I made sure Transport for Greater Manchester heard that loud and clear. I can’t wait to see local Abramers on the bus soon!”
Coun Eunice Smethurst said: “I am so pleased after all our campaigning that finally Abram is getting a Bee Network bus on the Abram route.
"Please use the bus and hopefully we can get it extended!”
Mr Simons said he will continue to push for improvements to public transport across the area, pushing the Bee Network to be the best it can possibly be.