Green Party campaigner calls for 388 bus service to be rerouted

Philip Wilson-Marks, Green Party Campaigner for Stalybridge North, is calling on Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) to consider rerouting the new 388 bus service through Tameside General Hospital.

The idea would be to improve access for elderly, disabled and vulnerable passengers.

The new 388 service between Stalybridge and Ashton-under-Lyne is expected to provide increased frequency and improved public transport connectivity for residents across the area.

However, concerns have been raised that the service will stop on Darnton Road, rather than closer to the entrance of Tameside General Hospital.

Philip Wilson-Marks is asking TfGM to consider an alternative route through the hospital, allowing the 388 to serve the existing bus stop on Fountain Street, which is already used by other bus services and provides passengers with a significantly closer point from which to access the hospital.

Mr Wilson-Marks said: “Firstly, I want to welcome the introduction of the additional 388 service between Stalybridge and Ashton-under-Lyne. Increased bus frequency and better connectivity will be a real benefit to many people in our local community.

“However, I am concerned that passengers travelling to Tameside General Hospital will be required to get off on Darnton Road and then make their way across a busy road before continuing on foot through the hospital grounds.

“For someone who is young and able-bodied, that may not seem like a major issue. But for an elderly person, someone with reduced mobility or a disability, a patient attending an appointment, or someone accompanying a vulnerable relative, that additional journey can make accessing the hospital considerably more difficult.

“There is a practical alternative. The Fountain Street bus stop is already served by other services and provides much closer access to the hospital entrance. I am therefore asking TfGM to look at whether the 388 could be routed through the hospital and serve this existing stop.

“I appreciate that bus routes have to take account of operational, traffic and other practical considerations. But where a relatively straightforward change could make public transport more accessible to people trying to reach our local hospital, I believe it deserves serious consideration.

“The introduction of the 388 is an opportunity to improve public transport connections between Stalybridge and Ashton-under-Lyne. Ensuring that the service also provides practical and accessible access to Tameside General Hospital would make that improvement even more valuable to local residents.”

Mr Wilson-Marks has written to TfGM requesting that the organisation investigate the feasibility of rerouting the 388 via Tameside General Hospital and serving the existing Fountain Street bus stop.

He is particularly asking TfGM to consider the needs of passengers who may find the additional walking distance from Darnton Road difficult, including elderly people, disabled passengers, people with reduced mobility and hospital patients.