Bus route 86 in Manchester: Piccadilly Gardens ↔ Chorlton Bus Station

Bus route 86 in Manchester runs between “Piccadilly Gardens” and “Chorlton Bus Station”.

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Which way bus 86 runs

From “Piccadilly Gardens” to “Chorlton Bus Station”: 28 stops. On the way: “Charlotte Street”, “Hart Street”, “Palace Theatre”, “Oxford Road Station”, “Oxford House”, “Aquatics Centre”, “Royal Northern College of Music”, “Cambridge Street”, “Upper Medlock Street”, “Westerley Slip Road”. Then “Royce Road”, “Phoenix Way”, “Old Birley Street”, “Loreto College”, “Chichester Road”, “Chorlton Road”, “Brook’s Bar”, “Kings Road”, “Sylvan Avenue”, “Wood Road”. Before “Chorlton Bus Station”: “College Road”, “Woodside Road”, “Clarendon Road West”, “Kensington Road”, “Warwick Road”, “Groby Road”.

On the way back the bus takes a different route, from “Chorlton Bus Station” to “Piccadilly Gardens” (26 stops). Only in this direction does it call at “Chorlton Library”, “Moss Lane West”, “Ormsgill Street”, “Epping Street”, “Manchester Metropolitan University”, “Chester Street” and “Dickinson Street”. Only in the direction of “Chorlton Bus Station” does it call at, among others, “Hart Street”, “Palace Theatre”, “Oxford Road Station”, “Oxford House”, “Aquatics Centre” and “Upper Medlock Street”. For the way back, board nearby: “Hart Street” → “Dickinson Street” (150 m), “Palace Theatre” → “Dickinson Street” (250 m), “Oxford Road Station” → “Chester Street” (100 m) and “Oxford House” → “Manchester Metropolitan University” (100 m). Towards “Chorlton Bus Station”, board nearby: “Chorlton Library” → “Kensington Road” (100 m), “Moss Lane West” → “Loreto College” (100 m), “Ormsgill Street” → “Phoenix Way” (100 m) and “Epping Street” → “Upper Medlock Street” (200 m).

Connections

Shared sections with other routes: between “Piccadilly Gardens” and “Cambridge Street” it shares the road with routes 85 and 85A; between “Piccadilly Gardens” and “Oxford Road Station” it shares the road with route 103.

Connections by stop, in route order:

• “Piccadilly Gardens”: buses 18, 33, 41, 42, 42A, 42B, 43, 50, 59, 76, 76A, 76B, 81, 83, 84, 87, 111, 112, 114, 117, 118, 119, 135, 142, 143, 182, 191, 192, 197, 203, 205, 231 and 256
• “Charlotte Street”: buses 18, 33, 41, 42, 42A, 42B, 43, 50, 76, 76A, 76B, 81, 83, 84, 87, 111, 112, 114, 117, 118, 119, 135, 142, 143, 147, 191, 192, 197, 203, 205, 231 and 256
• “Hart Street” (only towards “Chorlton Bus Station”): buses 18, 33, 41, 42, 42A, 42B, 43, 50, 87, 111, 114, 142, 143, 147, 191, 197 and 256
• “Palace Theatre” (only towards “Chorlton Bus Station”): buses 18, 33, 41, 42, 42A, 42B, 43, 50, 87, 111, 114, 142, 143, 147, 191, 197 and 256
• “Oxford Road Station” (only towards “Chorlton Bus Station”): buses 18, 33, 41, 42, 42A, 42B, 43, 50, 87, 111, 142, 143, 147, 191, 197 and 256
• “Oxford House” (only towards “Chorlton Bus Station”): buses 18, 41, 42, 42A, 42B, 43, 50, 87, 111, 142, 143, 147, 191 and 197
• “Aquatics Centre” (only towards “Chorlton Bus Station”): buses 18, 41, 42, 42A, 42B, 43, 50, 53, 87, 111, 142, 143, 147, 191 and 197
• “Royal Northern College of Music”: buses 18, 41, 42, 42A, 42B, 43, 50, 53, 87, 111, 142, 143, 147, 191 and 197
• “Cambridge Street”: buses 18, 41, 42, 42A, 42B, 43, 53, 87, 111, 142, 143, 147, 191 and 197
• “Upper Medlock Street” (only towards “Chorlton Bus Station”): buses 53 and 256
• “Westerley Slip Road” (only towards “Chorlton Bus Station”): buses 53 and 256
• “Royce Road”: buses 53 and 256
• “Warwick Road”: buses 23, 25, 87 and 150
• “Groby Road”: buses 23, 25, 87 and 150
• “Chorlton Bus Station”: buses 23, 25, 87 and 172
• “Chorlton Library” (only towards “Piccadilly Gardens”): buses 23, 25, 87 and 150
• “Ormsgill Street” (only towards “Piccadilly Gardens”): buses 53 and 256
• “Epping Street” (only towards “Piccadilly Gardens”): bus 53
• “Manchester Metropolitan University” (only towards “Piccadilly Gardens”): buses 18, 41, 42, 42A, 42B, 43, 50, 53, 87, 111, 142, 143, 147, 191 and 197
• “Chester Street” (only towards “Piccadilly Gardens”): buses 18, 41, 42, 42A, 42B, 43, 50, 87, 111, 142, 143, 147, 191 and 197
• “Dickinson Street” (only towards “Piccadilly Gardens”): buses 18, 33, 41, 42, 42A, 42B, 43, 50, 87, 111, 114, 142, 143, 191, 197 and 256

Pages for these routes: bus 18, bus 23, bus 25, bus 33, bus 41, bus 42, 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 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 172, bus 182, bus 191, bus 192, bus 197, bus 203, bus 205, bus 231, bus 256.

Passes and concessions

Tickets, passes and concessions are covered on a separate page: how to pay for public transport in Manchester.

Questions and answers

Does bus 86 go to “Royal Northern College of Music”?

Yes, in both directions.

Where can I change from bus 86 to another bus route?

Most routes stop at “Piccadilly Gardens” (18, 33, 41, 42, 42A, 42B, 43, 50, 59, 76, 76A, 76B, 81, 83, 84, 87, 111, 112, 114, 117, 118, 119, 135, 142, 143, 182, 191, 192, 197, 203, 205, 231 and 256) and “Charlotte Street” (18, 33, 41, 42, 42A, 42B, 43, 50, 76, 76A, 76B, 81, 83, 84, 87, 111, 112, 114, 117, 118, 119, 135, 142, 143, 147, 191, 192, 197, 203, 205, 231 and 256). All other stops with connections are listed above.

Checked on 25 September 2026. Source of the route and stops: Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).