New bus route for Salford providing vital connectivity for the community

Greater Manchester continues to invest in the Bee Network, with a new bus route, better customer information and depot upgrades rounding off a successful first full year of locally controlled buses.

From 4 January 2026, a new bus route, the number 30, will connect the Trafford Centre, Trafford Park, Salford Quays, Ordsall Lane and Manchester City Centre.

Ordsall has seen significant regeneration in recent years, with around 1,000 new apartments built along the Ordsall Lane corridor. To support this growth – which mirrors a wider trend across Salford as the area with the biggest population increase in the North West – Salford City Council has secured around £2 million from local developers to help fund bus improvements for residents.  

The new 30 service will be all electric and run seven days a week, with a half-hourly service Monday to Saturday. It’s the latest in a series of Bee Network enhancements that have seen three all new routes introduced already, alongside improvements to more than 80 other services, including new night buses. 

More and more people are choosing to travel on Bee Network buses. Over 250 million Bee Network bus journeys have now been made, with passenger numbers increasing by 29% and 18% across the first two areas brought under local control.  

Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett said:

“This new number 30 bus is fantastic news for local people and something we have actively campaigned for here in Salford. Ordsall has seen significant growth and development  in recent years with new apartments being constructed and this new service will provide vital connectivity for the community.

“Our council officers secured over £2 million from developers to fund the provision of a new section of bus route covering the Quays and Ordsall. And the service will also be provided by a fleet of new electric buses, supporting our commitments for carbon reduction and improved air quality. I look forward to seeing the route in operation and meeting the passengers using it.”

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:

“It’s been a great first full year of locally controlled buses under the Bee Network.

“Many more people are now getting on board with services that are much more reliable, affordable and accessible, with new routes and more frequent buses better connecting people to jobs and opportunity.

“It’s all part of our plan to deliver a world-class transport network that will support a decade of good growth that benefits every part of Greater Manchester.”

Vernon Everitt, Transport Commissioner for Greater Manchester, said:

“It’s great to round off the year with another new service, more electric buses and better customer information to serve the people and businesses of Salford.

“These latest improvements reflect our determination to deliver continuous improvements across Greater Manchester and make the Bee Network - which brings together bus, tram, train and active travel - into a world-class transport network.”

Across buses and trams, the Bee Network is now carrying more than 18 million passengers a month – with the 132 service, between Wigan Bus Station and The Trafford Centre, recording the highest growth on the network, with passenger numbers up by 66.7% in 2025.

Customer satisfaction has also hit new highs, with an average of 85% across the city region.

Greater Manchester is targeting to boost bus passenger numbers by 30% by 2030, with an ambition for 50% of all journeys in the region to be made by public transport, walking or cycling by 2040.

It’s all part of Greater Manchester’s mission to make public transport better – including a 2030 pledge to ensure 90% of residents are within a five-minute walk or wheeling distance of a bus or tram that comes at least every 30 minutes.