Christmas campaign to leave car at home

Date published: 10 December 2007

A new campaign is being launched in Rochdale to encourage people to leave their cars at home over the festive season and use public transport instead.

Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) has produced 50,000 copies of a new Christmas leaflet to promote local bus, train and tram services. 250 posters will also be displayed at public transport stations and stops across the county.

Extra buses will run over the Christmas period this year following the success of previous festive services. Five bus operators – First, Stagecoach, Arriva, Bluebird and JP Travel – have agreed to provide services to all major towns in Greater Manchester on Boxing Day, despite it being a bank holiday.
Metrolink services will also run late into the night on New Year’s Eve, with the last tram leaving Manchester just before 1am.

Michael Renshaw, GMPTE’s Interim Service Delivery Director, said: "I’m pleased that buses will run to all major towns in Greater Manchester on Boxing Day, and that we’ve been able to provide Metrolink services well past midnight on New Year’s Eve. The roads can get very congested over the festive season so using public transport is a good way of avoiding the queues.

"I hope Christmas shoppers, or people on a night out, will pick up a copy of our new Christmas leaflet, which gives passengers information about the level of services running over the festive season. More detailed information is also available by calling our public transport information line, Traveline, on 0871 200 22 33."

The new Metrolink timetable, which was introduced last month, has doubled the frequency of some early evening services. Trams now run every 6 minutes on the Bury and Altrincham lines until 8pm during weekdays.

Metrolink services will operate until 10.30pm on Christmas Eve, and until 9pm on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. The last trams to Bury and Altrincham on New Year’s Eve will leave Manchester just before 1am, and the last tram to Eccles will leave just after 12.30am. Trams will not run on Christmas Day.

Most bus services will run until 7pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and until 6pm on Boxing Day. Stagecoach’s hourly 43 service between Manchester and the airport will be the only service to operate on Christmas Day, and no buses will run on New Year’s Day.

Rail services in the Manchester area will be disrupted between 22 December and 1 January because of extensive engineering work. Replacement buses will run on some routes to the south and north of Manchester. Trains will not run on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. Further information is available by calling National Rail Enquiries on 08457 48 49 50.
The new Christmas leaflet is available in GMPTE Travelshops across Greater Manchester. Information about local public transport services is also available at www.gmpte.com, or by calling Traveline on 0871 200 22 33 (calls cost 10p a minute; mobile and some landline networks may charge an additional tariff).

Traveline will be staffed from 7am to 8pm, Monday to Friday, and from 8am to 8pm at weekends, on most days over the festive season. It will be the first year Traveline has opened on Boxing Day - from 9am to 1pm. Traveline will also be open on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve from 7am to 6pm, and closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.