Coronavirus - COVID19: Service information
All information below is accurate as of 2nd March 2021.
Please see our 'News and service updates' page for the latest information on any service disruptions or diversions.
Heading back to school on 8th March?
With children returning to school we continue to take additional measures to ensure they can return safely, reliably, and in a cost-effective way via First Bus.
You can find comprehensive travel information on getting back to school, and information about the additional journeys we are running, on our school services page here.
Current timetables:
Oldham network:
Frequency of buses |
||||||
Monday to Friday daytime |
Saturday daytime |
Sunday and Bank Holiday daytime |
Daily evening |
Comments |
||
6 |
Kirkholt - Rochdale |
Every 30 minutes |
Every 30 minutes |
Every 30 minutes |
Please contact TfGM |
|
57 |
Rushcroft - Oldham |
Every 30 minutes |
Every hour |
Every hour |
Every hour |
|
59 |
Oldham - Manchester |
Every 10 minutes |
Every 15 minutes |
Every 30 minutes |
Every hour |
|
81 |
Oldham - Manchester |
Every 30 minutes |
Every 30 minutes |
Every hour |
Please contact TfGM |
|
82 |
Sholver- Oldham |
Every 15 minutes |
Every 20 minutes |
Every 30 minutes |
See service 83 |
|
83 |
Oldham - Manchester |
Every 10 minutes |
Every 20 minutes |
Every 30 minutes |
Every hour |
|
84 |
Grotton - Manchester |
Every 10 minutes |
Every 10 minutes |
Every 30 minutes |
Every hour |
|
84 |
Uppermill - Manchester |
Every 30 minutes |
Every 30 minutes |
Every 30 minutes |
Every hour |
|
84 |
Huddersfield - Manchester |
See 184 |
See 184 |
Approx. Every 2 hours |
No service |
|
X84 |
Carrcote – Manchester EXPRESS |
No service currently being operated. Please use service 84. |
||||
180 |
Greenfield -Oldham |
See timetable |
See timetable |
No service |
No service |
|
181 |
Royton - Manchester |
Every hour |
Every hour |
No service |
No service |
|
182 |
Shaw - Manchester |
Every hour |
Every hour |
Every hour |
Every hour |
|
184 |
Grotton – Oldham |
Every hour |
Every hour |
See 84 |
No service |
|
184 |
Huddersfield – Oldham |
Every 2 hours |
Every 2 hours |
See 84 |
No service |
|
348 |
Carrbrook -Ashton |
Every 20 minutes |
Every 30 minutes |
Every hour |
Every hour |
|
350 |
Oldham - Ashton |
Every 30 minutes |
Every 30 minutes |
Every hour |
Please contact TfGM |
|
408 |
Rochdale – Buckstones- Shaw - Oldham |
Every hour |
Every hour |
Every hour |
Every hour |
|
409 |
Rochdale - Oldham -Ashton |
Every 10 Minutes |
Every 10 minutes |
Every 20 minutes |
Every 30 minutes |
|
425 |
Holts - Oldham |
Every 15 minutes |
Every 30 minutes |
Every hour |
Please contact TfGM |
|
426 |
Fitton Hill – Oldham |
Every 30 minutes |
Every 30 minutes |
Every hour |
Please contact TfGM |
Vantage network:
Frequency of buses |
||||||
Monday to Friday daytime |
Saturday daytime |
Sunday and Bank Holiday daytime |
Daily evening |
Comments |
||
V1 |
Leigh – Manchester & MRI |
Every 10/20 minutes |
Every 10/20 Minutes |
Every 30 minutes |
Every 30 minutes |
|
V2 |
Atherton – Manchester & MRI |
Every 30 minutes |
Every 30 minutes |
Every 30 minutes |
See note |
|
Travelling on our buses:
We’ve got each stage of your journey covered so that you can arrive safely at your destination.
Before you travel:
- Use the First Bus App to journey plan and buy your ticket
- Use our Space Checker tool to find when your bus is less busy
- Please bring a face covering as it is mandatory to wear onboard at all times, unless you are exempt. Click here for exemptions
- Social distancing limits the bus capacity to 50%, so please allow additional time for your journey during peak times
- Bring hand sanitiser
- We encourage our customers to download the NHS COVID19 App
At the Bus Stop:
- Use the First Bus App to track where your bus is and the number of free seats available
- Please social distance from other passengers waiting too
- Put on your face covering before you board the bus, it is a legal requirement unless you are exempt
- When your bus arrives, please allow space for passengers to leave the bus before you step onboard
- Get you payment method ready – mTicket on the First Bus App, contactless card, concessionary pass or the exact change
On Board:
- We encourage customers to make cashless payments to avoid cash handling
- It is a legal requirement to wear a face covering, unless you are exempt otherwise you could be fined up to £200
- Please follow the social distancing sashes to show you where to sit
- Our windows need to remain open to maintain airflow
- To assist others less mobile, please sit upstairs on double deckers
- We have increased our cleaning regime, but please help by not eating or drinking on board and remove any rubbish when you leave
People intending to travel should check the appropriate government advice for the region of the UK they live in. There are currently no restrictions on passenger type and everyone is welcome on our buses if they follow government and First Bus guidance, and they are not feeling unwell. Anyone who is suffering from coronavirus symptoms including a persistent cough or high temperature, should not travel, and should follow public health guidelines.
With operators and customers working together we will provide a bus network, for those who need it, that is safe and allows everyone to complete their journeys.
If there any key workers not able to get to work due to the changes, please let us know and we can look to try and make amendments.
Contact us at: WYCommercialTeam@firstgroup.com
Please watch our videos for information and advice for travelling on the bus during the coronavirus situation: | |
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Face coverings: Video ⇒ |
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Travel safely on our buses: Social distancing and travel information: Video ⇒ |
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First Bus App: Know where your bus is and how many seats are available: Video ⇒ |
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Cleaning on our buses: Video ⇒ |
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Social distancing information for customers who are visually impaired: Video ⇒ |
Frequently asked questions
Support for disabled passengers remains the same as before coronavirus, see here for more details ⇒ We offer our full support to wheelchair users who want to travel with us. While many of our seats are blocked with signs or tape, our wheelchair spaces remain available. All our buses have a dedicated area for wheelchair users; other passengers are required to give up the space for wheelchair users. Please ask the driver for assistance if you require any help. If the driver needs to leave their cab to provide passenger assistance they will wear a face covering. Wheelchair users have priority over everyone else for the use of the designated wheelchair space, since this is the only place in which they can travel safely. No, customers should use their own sanitiser and face covering. Please see the government advice on using and making a face covering: There is usually sufficient capacity on our buses but it's best to plan your travel in advance. Our busiest periods are in the middle of the day, so it is best to travel in the morning and late afternoon. This will help ensure we provide our services to as many customers and key workers as possible while adhering to social distancing guidelines. With the latest version of the First Bus App you can now track your bus live on a map and it also displays how many seats are available on each bus. We also advise that you try to travel before the last service of the day, to avoid the risk of the last service bus being full. We will not be able to run extra buses after the last service bus. On our buses we are operating at a reduced capacity with around 1 in 2 seats being available. It is therefore possible that that you might see ‘Bus Full’ signs as some services reach their revised capacity more quickly. If you are waiting at a bus stop and the bus drives past, it is likely it has reached its reduced seating capacity. If the bus does stop, but is near capacity, the driver will only allow one person to board for every person that gets off, so you may need to allow extra time for your journey and be prepared to wait. With the latest version of the First Bus App you can now track your bus live on a map and it also displays how many seats are available on each bus. We advise that you try to travel before the last service of the day, to avoid the risk of the last service bus being full. We will not be able to run extra buses after the last service bus, and you may have to arrange alternative transport. Yes, and with operators and customers working together we will provide a bus network, that is safe and allows everyone to complete their journeys. In line with UK Government advice, we are continuing with the systematic daily deep cleaning of our vehicles and facilities and screens are fitted to all cabs, separating drivers from passengers. Drivers also have access to gloves and hand sanitiser and all staff are encouraged to wash their hands regularly. To help with this we are asking our customers to: In order to maintain social distancing between our customers, and in accordance with Government guidance, we will only be able to allow 1 in 2 passengers compared to our usual capacity on each bus. This means there is some chance that not all passengers will be able to board the first bus that arrives. Public Health England suggests the risk of infection increases the closer you are to another person with the virus and the amount of time you spend in close contact: you are very unlikely to be infected from just walking past another person. There may be situations where you can’t keep a suitable distance from people, for example when boarding or alighting, on busier services, at busier times of day and when walking through interchanges. In these cases, you should avoid physical contact, try to face away from other people, and keep the time you spend near others as short as possible. If you can, wear a face covering on public transport. Be aware of the surfaces you touch. Be careful not to touch your face. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your elbow when coughing or sneezing. Treat transport staff with respect and follow instructions from your transport operator. This may include notices about which seats to use or how to queue and additional screens, barriers or floor markings. Help to keep yourself, other passengers and transport staff safe by waiting for passengers to get off first before you board, maintaining social distancing, be prepared to queue or wait for the next service if you cannot safely keep your distance on board. Please respect other peoples' space while travelling and avoid consuming food and drink on public transport, where possible. Be aware of other customers who may need the seat or extra space more than you such as pregnant, older and disabled people. No, but we have made changes to prioritise our service network around the needs of key workers. Passengers should follow Government guidance and leave extra time for their journeys. In England it is now mandatory to wear a face covering on Public Transport unless you have an exemption. Failure to do so may result in a fixed penalty notice of £200 (reduced to £100 if paid within 14 days). To see the government guidance on face covering exemptions please follow this link ⇒ Our drivers have face masks but may not be wearing a face covering or mask while driving as this can be distracting. And for those who wear glasses there is a risk these get steamed up while driving. The cab has a protective screen to separate the driver and passengers. Our drivers have to leave their cab when helping vulnerable customers and so are following the advice to wear a face covering as they are now in an open area of the bus and briefly in closer contact with the passenger. Our drivers will advise customers wherever possible but they cannot enforce social distancing measures. Please note the seating measures we have introduced are advisory for customers and we will not be asking our drivers to enforce them or leave their cab area, unless operating the manual bus ramp. Our driver will help advise customers when boarding where seats are available. Social distancing measures mean that we have had to reduce the capacities on our buses; effectively to 50% of previous capacities. It is likely that, as these new capacities are first introduced, not all passengers will be able to board the first bus that arrives. You might see 'Bus full due to social distancing’ messages on the destination display, which means the bus may not stop. We are asking customers with a pushchair or buggy to consider the travel needs of vulnerable passengers and those in a wheelchair or with restricted mobility. This may mean that you have to leave extra time or wait to complete your journey. We are asking customers to consider the travel needs of vulnerable passengers and those in a wheelchair and will do all we can to prioritise access to the wheelchair space for a wheelchair user. We have a new feature on our First Bus app which gives wheelchair users live updates that show if the wheelchair space is available on buses nearby and helps them plan their journey. Yes, we were one of the first bus operators to do this and we have made hand sanitiser products and gloves available for all staff. Government advice is that people shouldn’t travel if they are suffering from coronavirus symptoms including a persistent cough or high temperature and should follow public health guidelines. Exemptions for the use of face coverings will apply to those with certain health conditions, disabled people and children under the age of 11 (in England and Wales). Children under the age of 3 should not wear face coverings. To see the government guidance on face covering exemptions please follow this link - England It is your legal responsibility to wear a face covering when travelling on public transport unless you have an exemption. The driver cannot enforce this but you may be liable to a fixed penalty notice of up to £200 in England (reduced to £100 if paid within 14 days). Where air conditioning systems are used on our buses, they draw on air from the outside, so keeping a constant fresh flow of air circulating through the vehicle and are a further way to help keep bus travel safe. We’re following Govt guidance to increase ventilation in enclosed spaces; unfortunately this applies come rain or shine. Fresh air flow helps keep bus travel safe during the pandemic and we’re grateful to everyone for supporting measures we’re taking to look after each other.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering.
At First Bus, your safety is our top priority. In the wake of the evolving impacts of coronavirus, we are working with the Government and wider industry to ensure we are following the latest advice to keep you safe on our buses.
Lost Property
Our drivers collect all lost property found on our buses and return it to their depot, but it can take up to 2 working days to register lost property items on our system.
If you have left an item on one of our buses, the best way to recover it is to complete the contact form on our help and support page and select "Lost Property".
If we have your property, you'll be able to collect it from our Oldham Depot Tuesday to Thursday between 7am and 2pm.
Click here for more details.
We're here for you
For further COVID information, our question and answer section plus key worker feedback click here
All travel shops are currently closed.
Contact us by phone 0345 646 0707 (9am to 5pm Monday to Friday). Our quieter times are usually between 11am and 3pm so you may prefer to call then as there will be less of a wait to speak to one of our Customer Support Agents.
Contact us on Twitter @firstmanchester 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday or 9am to 6pm on weekends and bank holidays.
- For mobile tickets (mTickets) bought in our app, please email our mTicket support team mticket-support@firstgroup.com. Please include the mobile number and email address associated with your mTicket account . Alternatively, please call us on 0330 094 7577.
- For subscription tickets, please email first.etickets@firstgroup.com and include the email address and telephone number associated with your subscription.
- For tickets you’ve bought on our website to print at home (eTickets, e.g. airport services), please call:
0345 646 0707 and select option 2 then option 2.
- For all paper tickets, please call 0345 646 0707 and select option 2 then option 3 or email us at: SSC-TicketEnquiries@firstgroup.com
Please be advised that our operators may be busy due to increased volume of enquiries but will do their best to assist you.
If you prefer, you can fill out the contact form here instead ⇒ We will get back to you as soon as we can but please be aware that for lost property enquiries our response time is usually within 3 working days for all other enquiries this could take up to 14 days.