Oldham buses “unaffected” by First Group sale

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It’s being reported that the group, which had depots in Oldham and Bolton, have agreed a deal with Go-Ahead to buy their Queen’s Road depot in Cheetham Hill.

That hub currently provides services to the north of Manchester and Salford and has been sold for around £11 million, giving Go-Ahead around 160 vehicles.

In a statement, First Manchester confirmed that despite the sale, their services from the other two depots wouldn’t be affected.

“The sale is expected to complete in the next few months and employees who work for the Queens Road bus operation will transfer to the Go-Ahead Group. First Manchester will continue to operate existing local bus services from the Queens Road site until the sale is completed and customers should see no changes to their daily journeys throughout this period of transition.

Today’s news will see First Manchester continue to operate from two sites, Oldham and Bolton. These depots and the services that operate from them are unaffected by today’s announcement.”

Go-Ahead, which is based in Newcastle, will operate under the name Go North West with their Chief Executive, David Brown, adding: “We look forward to contributing to Manchester’s community and transport. Buses are an essential public service that help passengers get to work, access education and healthcare, for leisure and visits to relatives. We aim to deliver a comfortable, reliable service while investing to improve air quality.

“As a business that prides itself on looking after our colleagues, we hope to reinvigorate the Queen’s Road depot. We also look forward to engaging in open conversations with TfGM, stakeholders and customers in the Manchester area to better understand how we can create a sustainable and thriving service.”

The sale of the Queen’s Road depot in Cheetham Hill is expected to be completed in the coming months.

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