Greater Manchester bus route 368

368
Stagecoach Manchester Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC in Wythenshawe in May 2021
Overview
Operator	Stagecoach
Garage	Stockport Sharston
Vehicle	Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC
Route
Start	Stockport Interchange
Via	Edgeley Cheadle Heald Green Peel Hall, Wythenshawe Newall Green (Limited Service)
End	Wythenshawe Interchange or Wythenshawe Hospital or Manchester Airport
Service
Level	Daily
Frequency	15-60 mins

Greater Manchester bus route 368 is a bus route runs between Stockport Interchange and Wythenshawe Interchange, with limited services serving Manchester Airport. It is operated by Stagecoach Manchester. It has a sister route 11 operating between Stockport Interchange and Altrincham Interchange, sharing the same route between Stockport and Cheadle.

Current route

The 368 serves the following locations, with limited services serving locations in italics:

• Stockport
• Edgeley
• Cheadle
• Heald Green
• Peel Hall
• Wythenshawe
• Newall Green
• Manchester Airport

History

First generation route (original route)

The 368 route can trace its origins back to the earlier days of municipal bus services. Bus services in the Tameside and Stockport areas were traditionally run by separate entities, with Stockport Corporation and Manchester Corporation being major operators in the 20th century. As these services developed, a bus route similar to today's 368 was established to connect Stockport and Ashton-under-Lyne, two key hubs in Greater Manchester's public transport network.

In 1969, the Greater Manchester Transport (GMT) was formed following the creation of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE), which took control of bus services across the region. During this period, route 368 was consolidated under GMT's operation and became a key route linking Stockport, Hyde, Dukinfield, and Ashton-under-Lyne.

The bus industry in Greater Manchester, like much of the UK, was deregulated in 1986 under the Transport Act 1985. This led to the privatization of many bus routes, including route 368. Bus services could now be run by private operators in competition with one another.

Main article: Greater Manchester bus route 330

Following deregulation, the original route 368 was operated by different companies. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, GM Buses, the successor to Greater Manchester Transport, ran Route 368. As Stagecoach Group purchased GM Buses in 1996, Stagecoach Manchester became the operator of that route. The original route 368 was modified in the 2000/10s and got renumbered 330.

Second generation route (current route)

In the 2000s, as the rapid development of the southern part of Greater Manchester, especially Wythenshawe, the population had been increasing with the demand of transportation. Meanwhile, increasing connectivity is needed due to its proximity to Manchester Airport and significant regeneration efforts in recent years, a new bus route, 368, was introduced to align with transport demand shifts towards Manchester's southern areas. The route has begun operation by Stagecoach Manchester in 2007, with services to/from Manchester Airport provided at the early morning or Wythenshawe Hospital at early morning and evening rush hours. At the rest of the day, services to/from Wythenshawe Hospital or Manchester Airport are provided by other routes to such areas such as 11, 18, 43, 199 and 313.