#AYearOfBuses 8: Bolton – Manchester

With an illustrious history of over 90 years, Greater Manchester’s route 8 is next up for #AYearOfBuses.

The 8 runs from Bolton into the heart of Manchester city centre, linking Farnworth, Kearsley and Pendleton with the city along the way. It’s one of Manchester’s oldest routes, and back in the day, it was one of the Manchester Corporation’s preposterously-long cross-city express routes, running all the way from Bolton to Hyde.

Today, the 8 is run by First Manchester, and has been the recipient of some interesting vehicle choices over the years – including a displaced fleet of 15 Volvo B10LA articulated buses back in 2005. Around the same time, it became part of Manchester’s high-frequency Overground network, which has since been binned.

Find out more about the history of the 8 on Stuart Vallantine’s excellent blog, East of the M60.

Images: Wikimedia Commons