Museum of Transport Greater Manchester
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Museum of Transport Greater Manchester
@motgm.uk
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We'll take you back! Open Wednesdays, weekends and bank holidays 10 am to 4.30 pm. Adult admission £7.50, student/jobseeker £6, disabled/children free. https://motgm.uk
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Museum of Transport Greater Manchester @motgm.uk · Nov 15
Hi! We're the Museum of Transport Greater Manchester, an award-winning museum celebrating the 200-year long history of our region's buses. We're open 3 days a week and yes, we let you go on some of the buses. Sometimes we even give rides. In honour of being here, here are some of our blue buses...
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This 1967 street scene has changed a lot since it was taken. But where is it? It's this week's #MysteryMonday, so it's over to you to tell us if you know - we'll confirm the answer later.
A black and white photo shows an urban street scene, with a wide and straight road leading off into the distance. There's a 1960s bus heading away from the camera, plus a few cars here and there, and there are posts on the pavement that look as though they were supports for tram or trolleybus overhead wires at one time - in fact two of the posts still have a wire strung between them.
January 26, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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No haircut required! 🤣

If you like our museum, have you thought of #volunteering? We welcome any age, gender, skills, amount of time. Some wash buses, others work in our archives, there's something for everyone. To find out more, arrange a chat with our volunteer liaison officer at vlo@gmts.co.uk
Two volunteers at the museum of transport watch two others wash an orange and white single deck bus inside the museum. They all have their backs to the camera. The post mentions haircuts because the three people nearest the camera are all bald or with very closely cropped hair.
January 25, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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#SaturdayShowoff brings our collection to you and maybe tempts you to come and see the real thing. This week it's ##Ramsbottom 17, a rather pretty little Leyland from 1947.

Tempted? Visiting details at motgm.uk
An old fashioned single deck bus stands outside the museum of transport. Its colour scheme is crimson with two cream bands, and its destination says Ramsbottom.
January 24, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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"It's a game of two halves..." Over the Christmas break, we broke a bus in two! Our 1934 Crossley bus, number 436, is undergoing a heavy restoration programme and we need to replace the upstairs floor. But it was installed before the top deck was fitted, so we have to make the new one the same way.
A view inside the museum of transport shows bus number four three six, split into top and bottom halves. The upper deck is on the left, resting on wooden trestle tables; and the lower deck is on the right, resting on its own wheels.
January 23, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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#ThrowbackThursday this week takes us to Newport Street in Bolton, watching the 18 bus to Moss Bank Way. All local Bolton services were renumbered by adding 500 to them soon after this photo was taken, and that's why to this day - 50 years later - Bolton bus service numbers mostly start with a 5.
A nineteen seventies double decker bus waits on a sunny day at a bus stop in Bolton when it was fairly new. The destination reads Moss Bank Way, eighteen. The bus is coloured pale orange and off-white, and behind it there's another bus painted in a yellow colour scheme; and beyond that, another orange one.
January 22, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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We love this video from one of our recent visitors! 😃

www.instagram.com/reel/DRZKFEF...
mumedit on Instagram: "Hello rainy day activity!We visited the Greater Manchester Museum of Transport recent and were so impressed with how good it is for…"
Hello rainy day activity!We visited the Greater Manchester Museum of Transport recent and were so impressed with how good it is for little ones. Obviously, a museum full of buses is perfect when you’ve got a little toddler who loves buses, trams (or anything with wheels) but it’s also pretty fun for adults too.It’s based in a former bus depot that adjoins Manchester’s first electric tram depot. Inside, you can explore real and historic buses (plus a tram), see what old horse-drawn buses looked like and learn a some surprising transport facts.It’s calm, and wasn’t busy when we visited. So it’s basically a haven at this time of year when everywhere else is busy, and also means you can explore the buses without feeling rushed or crowded. There’s loads of space for little ones to run around too. Ideal for when you need something indoors but still want them to burn off energy.Key info:🅿️ Free parking🕰️ We spent around 1.5 hours there💷 Adults £7.50 / Kids go free☕️ On-site cafe for snacks and hot drinks🧣 It’s pretty chilly inside, so wrap up warm!📍 Boyle Street, Cheetham Hill, Manchester, M8 8UW If you need a reliable, toddler-friendly indoor activity in Manchester, especially on a rainy day, this is one to save.
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January 19, 2026 at 10:25 PM
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A rural scene - or is it? It's #MysteryMonday, so it's over to you to say where this photo was taken. We'll confirm the answer later. Our only clue is that although the trees have grown, this is a perfectly recognisable location today.
A black and white photo shows a nineteen sixties single decker bus parked on a long, straight, wide road in what appears to be countryside. The bus says Stockport one eight zero on its destination blind. It has been snowing, and the trees we can see to the left and right are bare.
January 19, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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Here's a real treat. Geoff Lumb, who restored our amazing 1928 'Karrier' bus Ashton no. 8 over 40 years, describes its short life in service before it became a caravan and eventually rescued. It lives in our museum now.
January 18, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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We bring our #SaturdayShowoff to you, to showcase our collection and maybe tempt you to come and see the real thing. This week it's Lancashire United 97, the oldest surviving Daimler Fleetline. Like it? It'll be on duty at our LUT event on 25/26 July.
A red 1960s double decker bus stands outside the museum of transport. It's being used on one of the museum's free heritage bus services for visitors to the museum. It has a large, ornate Daimler badge on the front panel and the destination says Walkden.
January 17, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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#DidYouKnow that it's easy to come and visit us by public transport? And with #BeeNetwork bus fares capped at £2 (and free round-the-clock travel on buses for older/disabled passengers from March) it's great value too. To plan your journey here, just use the travel planner. tfgm.com/plan-a-journey
Plan a journey
Plan a journey in Greater Manchester using the Bee Network and find public transport schedules.
tfgm.com
January 16, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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What a #ThrowbackThursday pic! This has to be Manchester's Piccadilly bus station, watching an Ashton bus waiting to set off back to its home town. The buildings in the background are still there, but the bus station and where the bus was parked is now on the site of the Metrolink stop.
A blue and cream double decker bus waits in the old Piccadilly bus station in central Manchester some time in the late nineteen sixties. The destination on the bus says Ashton two one eight, and in the background we can see the buildings of Piccadilly Plaza.
January 15, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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We're joining The National Lottery Heritage Fund in celebrating #HeritageTreasures Day, when heritage attractions showcase beautiful and treasured objects. Our contribution is the nearest thing we've got to treasure, the golden key that was used to ceremonially open the Manchester tramways system.
A beautiful and ornate golden key lies on a red surface. The key is gold, and at the handle end there's a beautifully crafted rendition of the coat of arms of the city of Manchester, made in gold and enamel.
January 14, 2026 at 8:01 AM
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The #Mancunian bus was an icon of Manchester - it was ahead of its time and we're glad that we have the first one, 1001, in our museum. But where is this one? As it's #MysteryMonday we're leaving it to you! Tell us if you think you know and we'll confirm the answer later.
An orange and white double decker bus is parked on a stretch of tarmac. We see a low-rise block of flats behind the bus, and some trees in the right background. The destination on the bus says Manchester Victoria but there's no route number shown.
January 12, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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Are you interested in our museum and its collection? If so you can join the GMTS, the charity that runs the Museum of Transport. You get free entry to the museum, discounts on many shop purchases and our magazine, 'Journal'. Visit the membership shop at www.motgmshop.uk/category/mem...
A montage shows the covers of three recent examples of the magazine of the Greater Manchester Transport Society, which is called the journal. It's published every other month and includes museum news, updates on local bus operator fleets and articles of the history of local public transport.
January 11, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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Our #SaturdayShowoff brings our collection to you and maybe tempts you to visit. This week it's Salford 214, in the condition it would have been in around 1970. Like to see it? Visiting details at motgm.uk
A dark green 1960s double decker stands inside the museum of transport. Its destination says Swinton and on the side, gold letters say Salford City Transport.
January 10, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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1/ A special hello to a lot of new followers, thanks for finding us here, and a special welcome for academics and historians from the UK and elsewhere. We're a volunteer-run museum telling the story of road public transport in Greater Manchester, England.
A photo shows a line-up of vintage buses standing inside the museum of transport in Manchester. The buses are in different colours from red to green or blue, and they're all very smart and clean.
January 9, 2026 at 6:11 PM
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Our buses are film stars! They've been in lots of TV and film productions lending realism to period dramas or just making an interesting backdrop. If you're in TV/film production and would like to know more about our vintage buses for almost any era, drop a line to media.relations@gmts.co.uk
A TV crew is filming around one of the museum of transport's buses inside the museum. In the cab of the bus we can see Mister Tickle, a well-know television personality.
January 9, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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What a #ThrowbackThursday! It seems the Councillors and Aldermen of the Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield Joint Board were visiting Coventry when this photo was taken in that city. Sadly the bus, the nearby Daimler factory, SHMD and even the Chace Hotel (closed in 2021) are now all history.
A black and white 1930s photo shows a large group of about thirty men standing in front of a handsome Daimler single decker bus. Behind them is a mock Tudor hotel, called the chase hotel.
January 8, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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Our first #MysteryMonday of 2026 is one to kickstart your brain cells for the new year - where is this railway station? If you think you know, tell us and we'll confirm the answer later.
A black and white photo shows a railway station, with no trains about. Both platforms are at least partly made of wood, with heavy brick-built single storey buildings and the usual paraphernalia such as benches and ornate lamps. The line is electrifield and there are very prominent masts and overhead lines along the track all through the station and into the distance.
January 5, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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Do you have a bus that needs seat material? Or just an armchair that you'd like to give a bus theme to? Read on...
Recently, we were fortunate to receive a generous donation of brand new Manchester City Transport green moquette, as used for much of the 1960s. It’ll allow us to refurbish the seats on several appropriate vehicles in our collection. Even after that, thanks to the generosity of the donor, there’ll still be a fairly large quantity left over. So, to make it available to the wider preservation movement while safeguarding our own supply, we’re offering rolls of this attractive material – either by the metre or by the roll. Each roll is 1.3m wide by 24m long. Prices are £30/metre, or £500 for a complete roll. Collection is by pick-up at the Museum of Transport, or we can arrange for a courier (but be aware, these rolls are heavy and bulky so that’s an expensive option). If you have a bus that would benefit, or even if you feel like having a Manchester City Transport cushion, gets yours now while stock lasts. A roll of 1960s Manchester moquette material, available for sale from the museum of transport. A roll of 1960s Manchester moquette material, available for sale from the museum of transport.
January 4, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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Our first #SaturdayShowoff of 2026 features our newest exhibit, Stagecoach Manchester 19001. You might think it's new, but it's twenty years old - and we'll bet that there'll be very few about in ten years' time so better to save one now. Like it? Visiting details at motgm.uk
A clean and smart Stagecoach bus in beach ball livery stands at Grand Lodge, near Heaton Park. It's one nine double oh one, the museum of transport's preserved Dennis Enviro four hundred.
January 3, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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Not long to wait now! We're open again from Saturday 3 January, and from then we're open every Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday. There's no price increase for adults, and kids under 16 still go free!
A coloured cartoon shows a man waiting at a bus stop. He's sitting in a bus shelter, looking very miserable and wet. It's raining and a display on the bus stop says 'no bus due'.
January 2, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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Happy New Year! As it's 2026, we thought we'd remind you about our programme of this year's events. And the eagle-eyed will spot that we've snuck in an extra, 'A Day with SELNEC' on 24 May when we'll dig out orange buses and welcome a restoration premiere courtesy of some lovely friends... 😉
This is the front cover of the Museum's leaflet publicising its 2026 events. It shows the times of the Shude Hill free heritage bus services on the left, and the leaflet front cover is on the right showing ones of the museum's buses. This is the second page of the museum's leaflet showcasing its 2026 events. The events are listed in date order, including days when the museum will operate free heritage buses to and from Shude Hill bus station. There are too many dates to list here, but if you're sight impaired and would like to know more about our events dates and free bus services, call us on 0161 205 2122 between ten o'clock and half past four on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays. We'll be happy to help.
January 1, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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It's the last #MysteryMonday of 2025 and it's a stinker! Do you know where this pleasant 1970s roadside scene is? If you do, tell us and we'll confirm the answer later.
A black and white photo shows a 1970s single deck bus approaching the camera along a wide suburban road. On the left there's a big Victorian house, and on the right there's a single decker bus whose destination simply says Private.
December 29, 2025 at 9:15 AM
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The Bee Network Youth Travel Ambassador scheme empowers students in Years 8-12 to create change. This year's event was at our museum, where students secured funding for their ideas at a 'Dragon’s Den' pitch. Applications for 25/26 are closed: make a note of the scheme for next year. buff.ly/N6lP8xX
A group of school students stand in front of a vintage bus at the Museum of Transport, delivering a presentation on their Youth Travel Ambassador initiative. They're watched by students and teachers from other schools.
December 28, 2025 at 9:15 AM