People in Greater Manchester have been sharing their views on the current state of our bus network.
Hundreds of readers reacted after the M.E.N made an eventful 13-mile commute from Bury to Swinton that took two-and-a-half hours. The trip was undertaken to highlight the current problems on the network in light of Andy Burnham's promise to reform Greater Manchester's public transport system.
The story prompted a huge reaction from readers, many of whom had experienced similar difficulties themselves. Taking to Facebook, Joanne Alice said: "Took me 3 hours to get from Heywood to MMU yesterday! Could have flown to Spain quicker. Buses don’t turn up, and then when they do they go past you as are full!"
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Chris Burke added: "Bus service is terrible. Expensive slow and unreliable. I live in Oldham work in Ashton and its not unknown for the journey to take nearly 2 hours.
"I can walk it in just over an hour or it's a 20 minute car journey. Until this kind of nonsense is sorted cars will be choice of many."
Meanwhile, Karen McClintock said: "It's a disgrace. I regularly commute between Swinton and Old Trafford. Takes 15-20 mins in the car depending on traffic.
"Takes the best part of 2hrs sometimes on the bus, as there are no buses that go across the city, so I have to get the bus to the city centre, and then another out to Old Trafford. Needs serious reform if they want people to use it in place of cars."
Aden McArthur-Johnston said: "Perfect example of why suggestions and policies aimed at getting people out of cars will not work. Buses just don't go where people need them to, aren't reliable and take too long."
Some readers compared Greater Manchester's bus network unfavourably to those in other cities. Daniel MacPherson said: "I fail to understand how the public transport system in Manchester is so shocking, maybe they need some management from any other European country than ours as when they say a train or bus will be there at a certain time it is!"
Annalouise Heath said: "I grew up in Greater Manchester and there were so many jobs I just could not apply for because I had to use public transport and it was terrible. Studied in London. Actually found it easier and cheaper to live a good life because the public transport got you to where you needed to go in a decent amount of time.
"Could apply for jobs and be able to get home at night. Or there for an early shift and get to friends houses.
"I think a tram network needs to be set up in Greater Manchester as connected as the tube is in London. Not just in and out of the centre but circling the suburbs and surrounding towns.
"And it needs to be just as affordable as the capital. With decent regular buses running to the tram stops."
Others suggested alternative ways of commuting across the region.
One reader on the M.E.N.'s website said: "Hmmm two and a half hours to travel 13 miles. Anybody in reasonable health could cover that distance in half the time on a pushbike.
"I've done it myself many times. Some of them busses have 10 litre diesel engines which are the biggest polluters on the road. They cause traffic everywhere.
"They're ridiculously expensive, unreliable and provide an unsafe environment for anyone using them. It's about time everyone just boycotted them.
"A decent pushbike is more reliable, far easier on the pocket, quicker and so many times better for the physical and mental health. Oh, and the environment, it's millions of times better for the environment."
Commenting on the price of a daily ticket, which costs £6.40, another person said: "So £32 for the wk, if you work 5 days. Even with petrol hikes, & including your tax & ins, you're better off in a car, if you don't drive a 2 litre or such like.
"They wonder why people won't give up on their cars? Proof is right there, cost & reliability."
However, Peter Abbott said he believed the current pricing was reasonable. "£6.40 for a day ticket to travel anywhere in Greater Manchester is cheap," he said.
"You try driving around with £6.40 worth of petrol in your car and see how far you get. Then add parking charges."
