Ah Stagecoach. The means with which I scoot around the Manchester suburbs and its city centre, the vehicles which speed me to my love on a regular basis. I first discovered these chaps when I moved to Withington and suddenly realised all that I used to know was about four miles away. These guys chug along Oxford/Wilmslow Road incredibly regularly, and that's where you get to see the different kinds of buses. Fascinating? You bet! Just read.
So first of all, there are the Magic Buses. These are the ones which you might have seen previously on Scrapheap Challenge. You'll never quite experience the same set of seats on two separate buses (for example, as the other half and I were waiting for a bus one time, he shrieked, 'That Magic Bus has real seats! Let's get that one'). Some have been borrowed from different buses. Some are soft, some are mobile torture devices. They're magic, these buses, because they manage not to break down. (In my experience.) But the students love 'em. This means that since January, I've witnessed two vomitings on Magic Buses. Vomtertainment! Anyway, they're dark blue and you can't miss 'em. The buses, not the spews. Although you might want to miss those.
Then there are the standards, which are white, orange and blue, and the electric hybrids, easily clockable thanks to the green. These are more expensive than the Magics, but infinitely more comfortable, quieter and warmer. Ah.
I get a monthly pass for £42 which means I can get on any Stagecoach or Magic over the entire Greater Manchester area, at any time, for however long, as many times as I want. When I think what I'd be spending on a car, it's a no-brainer. There are buses that take me to Chorlton, Didsbury, town, and if I get on the wrong one? Well it's not like I've bought a ticket for a specific journey or anything. Sometimes that's the best way to explore! Levenshulme? Longsight? Ashton? It's all fair game.
I knock off a star for the Magic Bus vomit risk, and the sheer amount of times drivers have seen me running and driven off at the last minute. Gits. read more