When ‘bendy buses’ first hit the streets of Manchester and why they …
Whether you loved them or hated them, for nearly 20 years ‘bendy buses’ were once a common sight in Manchester.
The sight of articulated, or ‘bendy’, buses has prompted mixed reactions from the UK’s road users over the years. Perhaps the most contentious debate surrounding the buses was when former Prime Minister – then Mayor of London candidate – Boris Johnson[1] promised to scrap the controversial London buses in the run-up to the mayoral election of 2008.
Following his successful campaign to become mayor, Boris Johnson confirmed his commitment to his election pledge[2], saying: “These writhing whales of the road have swung their hefty rear ends round our corners for the final time.
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“Pedestrians that leapt, cyclists that skidded and drivers that dodged from the path of the buses will breathe easier. Bendy buses are on borrowed time and I can confirm they will all have gone by 2011.”
And they were, having first appeared on the roads of the nation’s capital in 2002[4], the controversial buses were scrapped at the end of 2011[5]. But while many associate the buses with London, they were introduced to Manchester three years earlier.
Although ‘bendy buses’ have been common on the roads of European countries since the late 1930s, it’s worth noting they were in fact illegal on British roads until 1980.
However, trials on using the transport in UK cities began in 1978, including in Manchester. In August of that year, The Manchester Evening News reported: “It’s the ‘concertina’ bus that will have you seeing double.
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“And today it brought a touch of the continent to the streets of Manchester, where it went on trial before transport officials and workers. The buses, seen a lot abroad, are not allowed by law to be used in the country but efforts are being made to bring about a change of policy.”
The new ‘concertina’ goes on trial on the streets of Manchester. August 29, 1978 (Image: Mirrorpix)
The experiment was abandoned in 1981 due to double-decker buses being considered less expensive both to buy and to operate. The buses would disappear again from the country’s roads for nearly another 20-years until a new generation of lighter and more advanced articulated buses, with low-floor designs, reignited interest.
Three years before London, a fleet of 15 new articulated buses were introduced by bus operator First Manchester. The 135 Bury to Manchester service went into service in April 1999, with plans for 50 more to go into service across the region later the same year.
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An advertising campaign appeared in Greater Manchester newspapers in 1999, extolling the virtues of the new ‘bendy buses’, saying: “It is not only our passengers who benefit from the new buses, but the environment too. A full articulated bus, for example, can replace 116 cars on the road at the average rush hour occupancy level of 1.2 people per car.
“With the latest low emission engines using low sulphur fuels, First Manchester is making a very real contribution to making your towns and cities much better places in which to live and travel.”
A story on the highly anticipated new fleet appeared in the M.E.N. in April 1999. It reported on Manchester being used as a “test bed” for the new generation of ‘bendy buses’ with plans for the company to introduce more depending on the results.
Instructor Keith Fieldhouse told the M.E.N: “They are very manoeuvrable and can go anywhere our long single deckers can. And the beauty is, there is no road rage. Motorists are so amazed by the size that they give way to you.”
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The new buses were even given the thumbs up by bus driver of over 30-years, Colin McCardell. The then-54-year-old from Radcliffe was one of 70 drivers who had been specially trained to handle the ‘bendy buses’ that were so long, they needed a video camera on the back for reversing.
But not everyone was happy. A disgruntled reader wrote to the M.E.N. in a letter published on November 25, 1999, complaining about the new extra long buses.
It read: “I waited for a No 135 bus from Cheetham Hill to Bury. Along came a double-length, articulated bus, which seems to be a mobile traffic jam.
“It is more comfortable than a double-decker, but when it arrived at Bury bus station it was too long to fit into the normal bus lane so had to stop a considerable distance from the usual stop.”
Ian Davies, MD of First Manchester buses (right) unveiling an even newer generation of bendy bus between Manchester and Bury. Photo 2005 (Image: Manchester Evening News)
Despite not everyone being on-board with the buses, they remained a common sight in Manchester for nearly 20-years. Transport For Greater Manchester confirms that in August 2017, bus operator First Manchester withdrew their fleet of ‘bendy buses’ from the city, although on occasions a company called City Transport (based in North Yorkshire) still runs a bendy bus rail replacement service in the city centre.
A spokesperson for the Museum of Transport Greater Manchester told the M.E.N they understood there were ‘several reasons’ for them passing out of popular use, ‘ including the extra space occupied in the depot compared to a double decker with the same capacity, and extra maintenance cost of the articulation mechanism.’
Did you love or hate Greater Manchester’s ‘bendy buses’? Let us know in the comments below[9].
References
- ^ Boris Johnson (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
- ^ confirmed his commitment to his election pledge (www.mylondon.news)
- ^ by clicking here (manchester.page.link)
- ^ roads of the nation’s capital in 2002 (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
- ^ buses were scrapped at the end of 2011 (www.mylondon.news)
- ^ clicking this link (chat.whatsapp.com)
- ^ Join our Greater Manchester history, memories and people Facebook group here. (www.facebook.com)
- ^ Love Greater Manchester’s past? Sign up to our new nostalgia newsletter and never miss a thing. (data.reachplc.com)
- ^ Let us know in the comments below (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)