Disruption to services is continuing at one Oldham bus company due to driver shortages.

A total of five routes run by Stotts will see services disrupted due to the shortages.

The business, which operates out of Oldham, is currently recruiting full-time and part-time drivers, and has asked anyone to get in touch at enquiries@stottsbuses.co.uk.

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Services run by Stotts have seen disruption and changes for weeks, with the company posting daily disruption updates to its account on X (formerly Twitter).

Issues with staff shortages at the operator go back months, with TfGM’s deputy director of buses saying the organisation was working with the operator to minimize the impact to passengers all the way back in September.

The disruption comes just four months before Oldham’s buses are set to see massive changes, with Bee Network franchising seeing Stagecoach operating most of the borough’s bus network under the Bee Network branding and ticketing system.

The introduction of the system could see new routes coming to Oldham, with Mayor Andy Burnham mooting new Oldham routes on his weekly BBC Radio Manchester phone-in show last month.

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According to TfGM, the services which will not be running today (Wednesday, November 22) are as follows:

151 (Mosten Ben to North Manchester General Hospital)

6.55am, 9.07am, 12.07pm, 3.07pm and 6.13pm.

151 (North Manchester General Hospital to Ashton)

7.33am, 10.33am, 1.33pm and 4.43pm.

183 (Royal Oldham Hospital to Limeside)

7.32am, 8.29am, 9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.30pm, 2.38pm, 3.30pm, 4.30pm, 5.30pm and 6.30pm.

183 (Limeside to Royal Oldham Hospital)

7am, 7.57am, 9am, 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4.02pm, 5.02pm and 6.02pm.

335 (Ashton)

7.06am, 9.19am, 11.19am, 1.19pm, 3.19pm and 5.27pm.

339 (Ashton-under-Lyne circular)

9.57am, 12.57pm and 3.57pm.

396 (Ashton to Middleton)

7.25am, 10.35am, 1.35pm and 4.35pm.

396 (Middleton to Ashton)

8.47am, 11.47am, 2.47pm and 5.54pm.

The Bee Network

As part of the new Bee Network, bus routes, timetables and more are controlled by Transport for Greater Manchester from now on in Bolton and Wigan, as well as parts of Salford and Bury.

Oldham’s buses will come under the system from March 2024, along with Rochdale, north Manchester, and the remaining parts of Bury and Salford.

The change will see First Bus effectively exiled from the borough, with Stagecoach and Diamond set to run all local services under a franchise from Transport for Greater Manchester.

An additional 50 yellow electric buses, on top of those already in service, have been ordered ready for Oldham, Rochdale, and the remainder of Bury to become part of the system.

The Oldham Times: A yellow Bee Network busA yellow Bee Network bus (Image: TfGM)

The remaining parts of the city region are set to join from January 2025.

After Greater Manchester buses in every borough have been brought under the system, passengers will be able to tap-in and tap-out across all buses and trams without having to decide on a ticket in advance, with fares capped at the "Bee AnyBus + Tram" price, similar to the system which has already been in place in London’s transport system for years, as well as many other major cities across the globe.

The system may even go cashless in the future, with Mr Burnham previously saying there was "an argument both ways" and that a decision had not been taken, before adding that most felt it would be safer and speed up journeys to go cashless. 

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Oldham. Please email me at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.