The History of the 343 Bus Route
The more scenic route to Mossley and Oldham from Hyde and Dukinfield (Page 2)
Contents:
Early days
The 343 started life as an additional service (the 4A) to SHMD's number 4 route in the 1950s, to serve the Winterford Road estate in Micklehurst. Its sister route had its roots in the SHMD tram service from Hyde (Mottram Road) to Mossley (Brookbottom), running via the then new Waterloo Road in Stalybridge.
With the route virtually unchanged, the tram service was converted to bus operation by the late 1930s. Further journeys were added to serve Gee Cross (Grapes Hotel). By then, the number 4 linked the cotton mills of Hyde, Dukinfield, Stalybridge and Mossley, a role the 4A would also perform by the 1950s.
SELNEC Southern 4A to Greater Manchester Transport 343
By the 1st November 1969, SHMD were no more, with operations transferring to the Stalybridge district of the newly formed SELNEC PTE Southern division. The result saw SHMD's green and cream livery disappear in place of their Sunglow orange and Mancunian white livery. By 1972, service revisions saw the 4 and 4A route combining to create a basic frequency of every 20 minutes.
The following year saw further restructuring, with the Southern division abolished, in line with the SELNEC Northern, Central and Cheshire districts (the latter a result of acquiring North Western Road Car Company services within the SELNEC). The other major event was SELNEC's renumbering exercise, designed to avoid duplication across the SELNEC operating area.
Buses within the Ashton and Stalybridge areas were allocated numbers between 330 and 355. As a result, the numbers 4A and 4 were renumbered 343 and 344.
The SELNEC name was consigned to history in 1974, following the Conservative government's restructuring of local government, which saw Stalybridge and Mossley become part of the new Greater Manchester County. As a consequence, SELNEC became Greater Manchester Transport on the 1st April 1974, and the Ashton and Stalybridge divisions were merged to become the Tameside division of GMT. This was in line with the formation of Tameside MBC.
Three years later, both Stalybridge and Ashton garages were closed, thanks to the opening of a new garage on Whitelands Road, housing 180 buses. This was the first new depot for Greater Manchester Transport.
Mossley area restructuring
The 20th July 1980 saw a radical restructuring of bus services in the Mossley area. One result of this was the withdrawal of Mossley to Oldham service 416. This was replaced by an extended 343 service. The 1981 timetable saw a basic half hourly frequency - exclusive of peak period extra journeys - between Hyde and Mossley, with the Oldham service running hourly.
Within the last 15 years up to 1982, the daytime frequency was halved. Sunday services ran to a basic hourly frequency from Hyde to Mossley, with a two hourly extension to Oldham. By 1985, the full Oldham to Hyde route changed to an hourly frequency. This was to change by the 26th October 1986, when GMT became GM Buses, a PTE owned limited company in a commercial environment.
Deregulation and privatisation
The last twenty one years up to April 2007 saw further contraction of the 343's timetable. The bulk of which affected peak hour journeys and odd journeys in early mornings and late evenings. For a brief period from October 1986, the basic Oldham - Hyde Sunday journeys were augmented by a Stalybridge - Carrbrook part route journeys, operated with minibuses.
The early 1990s saw evening journeys previously operated by GM Buses taken over by independent companies. By 1991, evening journeys were operated by Hyde based Tame Valley Motor Services, using ex-GMT Leyland Atlanteans. Sunday services continued to be operated by GM Buses. In March 1992, its sister route, the 344 was extended to Oldham. Sadly, this was not to last, as the 344 was withdrawn in November the same year.
At this point, the daytime service was re-routed in Oldham from Lees Road to Greenacres Road (evenings and Sundays), and Huddersfield Road via Waterhead in the daytimes. Between Stalybridge and Micklehurst, the route was diverted to call at Carrbrook village, turning left or right at the Buckton Castle pub, enroute to Hyde or Oldham.
By December 1993, GM Buses was split into three companies (including Charterplan, which was sold to East Yorkshire Motor Services). Operating from Oldham, Bury, Wigan and Bolton depots was GM Buses North, who continued to operate the bulk of the 343 service. Serving the area south of Ashton-under-Lyne was GMS Buses, who operated the Sunday service, using former Little Gem minibuses. At that point, Glossopdale took over the weekday evening service, with modern two tone green minibuses.
After two and a quarter years of being management owned companies, both GM Buses North and GMS Buses were sold to bus owning groups. March 1996 saw Stagecoach Holdings taking over GMS Buses, with FirstBus following suit a month after with GM Buses North.
By 1998, Stagecoach Manchester (GMS Buses) took over Glossopdale, retaining and repainting its modern minibuses. This time, single deckers and double deckers became de rigeur, with Glossop depot taking the bulk of the former Glossopdale vehicles. Stagecoach Manchester had a monopoly on both the evening and Sunday service.
This was to change three years later in February 2001. First Manchester became the sole operator of the 343. Daytime services were operated from Oldham depot, with evening and Sunday services operating from Dukinfield depot (acquired via First Pennine in 2000).
The Wilderness Years
Despite the re-introduction of bank holiday services by FirstGroup in 2002, and aggressive marketing of the company's day saver tickets, the 343 was in a state of limbo. With secondhand double deckers from other FirstGroup companies, the route appeared to have been careworn and forgotten about.
Between 2002 and 2007, the route was subject to re-routing with re-timing revisions legion. A 2002 experiment saw the 343 operating half hourly between Oldham and Waterhead. In 2004, the daytime service reverted to its pre deregulation route via Lees Road. In that same year, the 0745 journey from Oldham to Hyde was renumbered 344 - taking the road to Waterhead rather than Lees.
For the latter part of 2004, road works in Grotton and Mossley saw the 343 diverted via Greenfield - through Grasscroft and Roaches, before re-emerging at Mossley railway station.
