Council check: Transport for Greater Manchester

Each Sunday we look at the bus information provided by one of our local councils. This week, it's the turn of Transport for Greater Manchester, who provide public transport co-ordination on behalf of the county's councils.

Where do the buses go?

A series of maps covering the whole county, including enlargements of Manchester City Centre, are provided. The major bus stations and interchanges have a separate set of maps showing from which stop each service departs. 5 out of 5.

Timetables

All in one place and easy to find. 5 out of 5.

Fares

Nothing about single fares, but there is a good summary of day tickets, including single-operator, multi-operator and multi-modal tickets. Multi-operator tickets valid for longer than a day are hived off to the System One website, but it is well linked to. Plusbus isn't mentioned, but ought to be, as it offers great value on bus travel when purchased with a rail ticket to or from several locations in Greater Manchester. 3 out of 5.

Summary

Good comprehensive maps and timetables, let down by patchy ticket information. The omission of Plusbus is not on. Do TfGM really think nobody wants to know the price of a single fare before they travel? Transport for Greater Manchester scores a total of 13 out of 15.