Bus route 42 in Manchester: Piccadilly Gardens ↔ Stockport Interchange

Bus route 42 in Manchester goes from “Piccadilly Gardens” to “Stockport Interchange”. One stop is served in one direction only.

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The route of bus 42

From “Piccadilly Gardens” to “Stockport Interchange”: 46 stops. On the way: “Charlotte Street”, “Major Street”, “Palace Theatre”, “Oxford Road Station”, “Mancunian Way”, “Aquatics Centre”, “University Shopping Centre”, “University of Manchester”, “Manchester Royal Infirmary”, “St Mary’s”. Then “Dagenham Road”, “Grandale Street”, “Dickenson Road”, “Platt Fields Park”, “Grangethorpe Road”, “Old Hall Lane”, “Furness Road”, “Friendship Inn”, “Granville Road”, “Derby Road”. Then “Withington Library”, “Withington St Paul’s”, “The Christie”, “Oak Road”, “Westholme Road”, “Lapwing Lane”, “Belfield Road”, “Didsbury Library”, “Didsbury Village”, “Grange Lane”. Then “Beaver Road Junior School”, “Fletcher Moss”, “Didsbury Cricket Club”, “East Didsbury Station”, “East Didsbury Metrolink Stop”, “Burnage Lane”, “Grundy Street”, “Crown Inn”, “Mauldeth Road”, “Bank Hall Road”. Before “Stockport Interchange”: “Langham Road”, “Norris Avenue”, “Green Lane”, “Georges Road”.

On the way back the bus takes a different route, from “Stockport Interchange” to “Piccadilly Gardens” (43 stops). Only in this direction does it call at “St Winifred’s”, “Tesco”, “Cawdor Road”, “Langley Road”, “Platt Lane”, “Manchester Metropolitan University”, “Chester Street” and “Dickinson Street”. Only in the direction of “Stockport Interchange” does it call at, among others, “Major Street”, “Palace Theatre”, “Oxford Road Station”, “Mancunian Way”, “Aquatics Centre” and “Dickenson Road”. For the way back, board nearby: “Major Street” → “Dickinson Street” (150 m), “Palace Theatre” → “Dickinson Street” (250 m), “Oxford Road Station” → “Chester Street” (100 m) and “Mancunian Way” → “Manchester Metropolitan University” (100 m). Towards “Stockport Interchange”, board nearby: “St Winifred’s” → “Bank Hall Road” (200 m), “Tesco” → “East Didsbury Station” (100 m), “Cawdor Road” → “Furness Road” (100 m) and “Langley Road” → “Old Hall Lane” (100 m).

Other routes along the way

Shared sections with other routes: between “Piccadilly Gardens” and “Crown Inn” it shares the road with route 42A; between “Piccadilly Gardens” and “East Didsbury Station” it shares the road with routes 42B and 142; between “Piccadilly Gardens” and “Withington Library” it shares the road with routes 41, 43 and 143.

Connections by stop, in route order:

• “Piccadilly Gardens”: buses 18, 33, 50, 59, 76, 76A, 76B, 81, 83, 84, 85, 85A, 86, 87, 103, 111, 112, 114, 117, 118, 119, 135, 182, 191, 192, 197, 203, 205, 231 and 256
• “Charlotte Street”: buses 18, 33, 50, 76, 76A, 76B, 81, 83, 84, 85, 85A, 86, 87, 103, 111, 112, 114, 117, 118, 119, 135, 147, 191, 192, 197, 203, 205, 231 and 256
• “Major Street” (only towards “Stockport Interchange”): buses 18, 33, 50, 85, 85A, 86, 87, 103, 111, 114, 147, 191, 197 and 256
• “Palace Theatre” (only towards “Stockport Interchange”): buses 18, 33, 50, 85, 85A, 86, 87, 103, 111, 114, 147, 191, 197 and 256
• “Oxford Road Station” (only towards “Stockport Interchange”): buses 18, 33, 50, 85, 85A, 86, 87, 103, 111, 147, 191, 197 and 256
• “Mancunian Way” (only towards “Stockport Interchange”): buses 18, 50, 85, 85A, 86, 87, 103, 111, 147, 191 and 197
• “Aquatics Centre” (only towards “Stockport Interchange”): buses 18, 50, 53, 85, 85A, 86, 87, 103, 111, 147, 191 and 197
• “University Shopping Centre”: buses 18, 50, 53, 85, 85A, 86, 87, 103, 111, 147, 191 and 197
• “University of Manchester”: buses 18, 50, 53, 87, 103, 111, 147, 191 and 197
• “Manchester Royal Infirmary”: buses 18, 50, 53, 87, 111, 147, 191 and 197
• “St Mary’s”: buses 18, 50, 53, 87, 111 and 147
• “Dagenham Road”: buses 53 and 147
• “Grandale Street”: buses 53 and 147
• “Dickenson Road” (only towards “Stockport Interchange”): buses 50 and 147
• “Platt Fields Park” (only towards “Stockport Interchange”): buses 53 and 147
• “Grangethorpe Road”: bus 147
• “Old Hall Lane” (only towards “Stockport Interchange”): bus 147
• “Furness Road” (only towards “Stockport Interchange”): buses 147 and 150
• “Friendship Inn”: buses 147 and 150
• “Granville Road”: bus 147
• “Derby Road”: buses 25 and 147
• “Withington Library”: buses 25, 87, 111 and 147
• “Withington St Paul’s”: buses 87, 111 and 147
• “The Christie”: bus 147
• “Oak Road”: bus 147
• “Westholme Road”: bus 172
• “Lapwing Lane”: bus 172
• “Belfield Road”: buses 23, 171 and 172
• Stops from “Didsbury Library” to “Fletcher Moss”: buses 23 and 171
• “Didsbury Cricket Club”: buses 23, 50, 171 and 371
• “East Didsbury Station” (only towards “Stockport Interchange”): buses 23, 50, 171 and 371
• “East Didsbury Metrolink Stop”: buses 23, 50, 171 and 371
• “Burnage Lane”: buses 23, 50 and 371
• “Grundy Street”: buses 23 and 371
• “Crown Inn”: buses 23 and 371
• “Mauldeth Road”: bus 23
• “Bank Hall Road”: buses 23 and 197
• “Langham Road”: buses 23, 197 and 371
• “Norris Avenue”: buses 23, 197 and 371
• “Green Lane” (only towards “Stockport Interchange”): buses 23, 197 and 371
• “Georges Road”: buses 23, 25, 191, 192, 197, 370 and 371
• “Stockport Interchange”: buses 7, 11, 23, 25, 191, 192, 197, 203, 322, 327, 370 and 371
• “St Winifred’s” (only towards “Piccadilly Gardens”): buses 23 and 197
• “Tesco” (only towards “Piccadilly Gardens”): buses 23, 50, 171 and 371
• “Cawdor Road” (only towards “Piccadilly Gardens”): buses 147 and 150
• “Langley Road” (only towards “Piccadilly Gardens”): buses 147 and 150
• “Platt Lane” (only towards “Piccadilly Gardens”): buses 53 and 147
• “Manchester Metropolitan University” (only towards “Piccadilly Gardens”): buses 18, 50, 53, 85, 85A, 86, 87, 103, 111, 147, 191 and 197
• “Chester Street” (only towards “Piccadilly Gardens”): buses 18, 50, 85, 85A, 86, 87, 103, 111, 147, 191 and 197
• “Dickinson Street” (only towards “Piccadilly Gardens”): buses 18, 33, 50, 85, 85A, 86, 87, 103, 111, 114, 191, 197 and 256

Pages for these routes: bus 7, bus 11, bus 18, bus 23, bus 25, bus 33, bus 41, bus 42A, bus 42B, bus 43, bus 50, bus 53, bus 59, bus 76, bus 76A, bus 76B, bus 81, bus 83, bus 84, bus 85, bus 85A, bus 86, bus 87, bus 103, bus 111, bus 112, bus 114, bus 117, bus 118, bus 119, bus 135, bus 142, bus 143, bus 147, bus 150, bus 171, bus 172, bus 182, bus 191, bus 192, bus 197, bus 203, bus 205, bus 231, bus 256, bus 322, bus 327, bus 370, bus 371.

Passes and concessions

Which passes are available and who travels free is explained on a separate page: how to pay for public transport in Manchester.

Questions and answers

Does bus 42 go to “University Shopping Centre”?

Yes, in both directions.

Where can I change from bus 42 to another bus route?

Most routes stop at “Piccadilly Gardens” (18, 33, 50, 59, 76, 76A, 76B, 81, 83, 84, 85, 85A, 86, 87, 103, 111, 112, 114, 117, 118, 119, 135, 182, 191, 192, 197, 203, 205, 231 and 256) and “Charlotte Street” (18, 33, 50, 76, 76A, 76B, 81, 83, 84, 85, 85A, 86, 87, 103, 111, 112, 114, 117, 118, 119, 135, 147, 191, 192, 197, 203, 205, 231 and 256). All other stops with connections are listed above.

Checked on 28 September 2026. Source of the route and stops: Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).