Hourly bus service creating hardship and social isolation for residents of Saddleworth’s largest village

First Manchester cut the 180 Greenfield/Oldham bus service from every 30 minutes to hourly in October 2012 without any consultation with residents or councillors and just two weeks notice.

Now well over 500 local residents have signed the Bus Petition demanding reinstatement of the half hourly 180 bus service.  Arrangements have been made to hand over the Petition to FirstBus this week at their First Manchester Oldham Headquarters at Wallshaw Street.

Retired Liberak Democrat Councillor Richard Knowles organised the Greenfield Bus Petition with help from Councillor John McCann, many local residents and local shopkeepers after requests for First Manchester to reinstate the twice hourly service were ignored.

Richard Knowles, who has lived in Greenfield for over 30 years, says

“An hourly bus service to Oldham is completely unacceptable. First Bus and Transport for Greater Manchester fail to understand that Greenfield is Saddleworth’s largest village in population but has the worst bus service. Uppermill enjoys three direct daytime buses an hour to Oldham, whilst Diggle and Delph have two per hour and Grotton six per hour.”

FirstBus are ignoring Greenfield again when they undertake their Saddleworth Bus Consultation later this month based in Uppermill, Delph and Lees.

“First Bus could easily reinstate Greenfield’s half hourly bus service either by extending one of the Grotton buses or turning back the 180 Bus in Oldham rather than Manchester.”