History
Greater Manchester's bus route 52 was launched on October 25, 1986 by GM Buses. Before May 31, 1988, route 52 operated as a circular service connecting areas such as Old Trafford, Pendleton, Cheetham Hill, Miles Platting, Ashburys, Belle Vue, Longsight, Hulme, Stretford Road, and Chorlton. This extensive loop around Manchester was eventually withdrawn after two years, allowing altering and spliting of both routes 52 and 53 offerring a more direct service [1]
After the deregulation of bus services in the UK in 1986, [2] GM Buses were split into GM Buses North and GM Buses South while the route were operated by the former that time, which later became First Manchester.
When the route was passed to Go North West, route 52, along with route 53, was branded as "Manchester's Orbits" [3] and received a fleet of 12 Enviro 200s, featured a distinctive orange livery. This branding initiative aimed to highlight the routes' role in connecting various suburbs without necessitating travel into the city center.
On 24 March 2024, following the commissioning of tranche 2 of Bee Network franchising, the Queens Road depot, along with this route, were acquired by Stagecoach Manchester. A fleet of new MCV Evora bodied Volvo B8L, painted in Bee Network yellow, were allocated by Stagecoach Manchester on this route to operate along with its Enviro300 acquired from First Manchester.
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