London tried to claim it... but this 200-year-old service was made in Greater Manchester

This year, it will be 200 years since the UK's first ever bus service started - and it was in Greater Manchester.

While some claim the omnibus service which started in London in 1829 was the first, it was actually a bus service between Salford and Manchester which ran five years earlier. In 1824, Salford toll keeper John Greenwood stared a horse bus service between Pendleton and Manchester.

Greenwood’s business venture did well, and so did those who emulated him. Soon, Manchester and other cities were served by horse buses along the main roads.

READ MORE: Manchester's oldest pubs that have welcomed customers for 200 years or more

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It was the start of a story that continued all the way to today's Bee Network. To mark the milestone, The Museum of Transport Greater Manchester (MTGM) has organised celebrations and events throughout 2024.

Museum spokesman Paul Williams said: "Greater Manchester was the cradle of Britain's public transport, with the Liverpool and Manchester Railway starting in 1830 and John Greenwood starting bus services in 1824. We want to celebrate that Greater Manchester led the way, and we want as many people as possible to see the story of buses over the last 200 years."

While further details and dates of specific events can be found below, the Manchester Evening News took the opportunity to ask Paul what thought the most iconic Greater Manchester bus routes where and why?

The 17 between Manchester and Rochdale is the oldest route number still in use on Greater Manchester. It's history began with an express bus between Cornbrook and Rochdale starting in 1927.

Paul says: "By 1928 it was extended to Flixton at one end and Bacup at the