#AYearOfBuses 34: Leigh – Manchester

Stagecoach 34

We’re heading to Manchester for day 34 on #AYearOfBuses to check in on an interesting battle between regular and guided buses.

The 34 and X34 is a long-standing route connecting Manchester with Salford and Leigh, in the borough of Wigan. Over the years, it’s been run by a number of operators, including both First and Stagecoach.

It dominated the market for years – Leigh having no railway station for commuters heading into Manchester – until the opening of Greater Manchester’s first guided busway in 2016. Since then, the Vantage services running along the dedicated busway (which fatefully, runs along the old railway line), have gradually eroded the X34’s customer base.

In order to compete, Stagecoach introduced a fleet of branded Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMCs to the route, featuring this rather interesting style of branding.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t paid off. After so many years, the X34 has been put to the sword, with only the slower, round-the-houses journeys on the 34 remaining.

Share
Facebook
LinkedIn
Pinterest
WhatsApp

More like this

By continuing to enjoy our content, you agree to the use of cookies on our site. Find out more

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Close