Please complete the questionnaire on this link https://forms.office.com/e/iiGkPpKg9L if your child intends to use the 926 at anytime this year. This will help give me numbers to use in my discussions with TfGM.
Finally parent voice helps too. If you wish to share experiences of using the 926 with TfGM you can contact them directly on Contact form | Transport for Greater Manchester (tfgm.com) or on 0161 244 1000. This is the link to find all contact details for TfGM Other ways to contact us | Transport for Greater Manchester (tfgm.com)
Please note this article consists of two different emails that have been sent out regarding the same issue...
Dear parents,
The 926 bus travels each day from Top o’th’brow/ Padbury Way, through Harwood (Nab Gate) and Bradshaw (Morrisons) to Turton School. Since the start of the year this bus has been very full and I am aware that not all students have been able to get on the bus in the morning or in the afternoon.
If your child uses this service please keep reading.
All dedicated school bus services are provided through Transport For Greater Manchester (TfGM) and they decide the number of bus places needed. We have let them know that the bus provided is not sufficient, as we did last year. Indeed TfGM sent out a member of staff to count the number on the bus each day for a week at the end of September 2022 and felt a another bus was not needed as numbers had reduced by then. And yet the situation is the same, if not worse, this year. Last week we prioritised afternoon places for year 7 and 8 students but this is not a long term solution.
I have asked TfGM to come into school and meet with us to discuss this situation. To help with my conversations it would be good to know which students would like to get the 926 bus. Please complete the questionnaire on this link https://forms.office.com/e/iiGkPpKg9L if your child intends to use the 926 at anytime this year. This will help give me numbers to use in my discussions with TfGM.
Finally parent voice helps too. If you wish to share experiences of using the 926 with TfGM you can contact them directly on Contact form | Transport for Greater Manchester (tfgm.com) or on 0161 244 1000. This is the link to find all contact details for TfGM Other ways to contact us | Transport for Greater Manchester (tfgm.com)
Dear parents of students who travel on the 926,
I emailed you earlier in the week about the 926 and I mentioned that I had contacted TfGM. I have had a reply from them, explaining that the position of the low bridge on Turton Road means a double deck vehicle cannot be used on service 926 and that they are unable to add an extra bus to the route due to driver shortages and limited resources.
However they have provided details of an alternative public bus routes into school from Harwood, that fall within the statutory guidance for home-to-school journeys. As part of the Bee Network there’s an aim to encourage further use of buses and active travel and TfGM believe encouraging pupils now is the right approach to allow them to be more confident making journeys by public transport into the future. Additionally TfGM tell me that students using the public bus network contributes to the ongoing financial stability of the network and allows them to invest more in those bus services.
Pupils travelling from Harwood are able to use services 480 and 507 from Harwood to Bradshaw Brow, to connect with services 533 and 541 to Toppings.
In the morning, pupils can catch:
- 507 07:15 from Harwood White Horse, then change at Bradshaw Brow for 541 08:15, to arrive at school approx.. 08:25
- 507 07:50 from Harwood White Horse, then change at Bradshaw Brow for 541 08:21, to arrive at school approx.. 08:30
In the afternoon, pupils can catch:
- One of two 541s both leaving Turton School at 15:07, then change at Bradshaw Brow for 507 15:23 or 480 15:39.
- 533 15:30 from Turton Road, then change at Bradshaw Brow for 507 16:00.
Below are links to the TfGM website, for the timetables for services mentioned above and for the TfGM journey planner, which can be used to show other possible alternatives, such as walking and cycling as well as public transport.
480_22-SC-0561.pdf (ctfassets.net)
533_23-SC-0442.pdf (ctfassets.net)
507_23-SC-0438.pdf (ctfassets.net)
541_23-SC-0444.pdf (ctfassets.net)
Plan a journey | Transport for Greater Manchester (tfgm.com)
