Bus Crash Mirrors Decade-Old Disaster as Driver in Greater Manchester Arrested in Salford

Salford, Greater Manchester – July 21st, 2025 – A bus driver has been arrested after a double-decker Bee Network bus crashed into a low bridge in Salford on July 21st, causing serious injuries to three passengers and echoing a near-identical incident in Rochdale almost a decade ago.

The collision, which occurred on Barton Lane in Eccles, saw a Bee Network service 100 strike the Bridgewater Canal aqueduct at approximately 3 PM, tearing off its roof. Three people – two men in their 20s and 40s, and a 19-year-old woman – were rushed to hospital with serious injuries, with one passenger reportedly ejected from the top deck. All three are in a stable condition. A further 17 casualties were treated at the scene by paramedics.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that the bus driver, a man in his 50s, was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by careless driving. He has since been bailed pending further investigations. Police stated that the driver 'failed to comply' with warnings about the low bridge. A Bee Network spokesperson also confirmed the number 100 service was not following its usual route at the time of the incident.

The dramatic scenes in Salford bear a striking and unfortunate resemblance to a bus crash that took place just under ten years earlier in Rochdale. On September 9th, 2015, seventeen people were injured when a First Manchester number 17 double-decker bus collided with a bridge on Milkstone Road, near Rochdale Rail Station, at around 12:20 PM. That incident also resulted in the vehicle's roof being torn off.

In the 2015 Rochdale crash, eleven people required hospital treatment, including a man in his 20s who sustained serious facial injuries. Twenty-five passengers were on board the bus at the time. One passenger described the experience as the, “scariest moment of her life”. Emergency services, including police, firefighters, and paramedics, were called to the scene, and rail services through Rochdale were suspended for inspections of the bridge and tracks. The bus was eventually moved from beneath the structure over two hours later.

Further underscoring that the incidents in Rochdale and Salford are part of a wider issue, a similar alarming event took place on 19th December 2024, this time in Scotland. The Stagecoach service six bus, which operates between Kilmarnock Bus Station and New Farm Loch, was involved in a serious collision when it smashed into a low railway bridge. The force of the impact was so severe that the bus's roof was completely ripped off, drawing further attention to the critical need for robust safety measures and proper route planning for public transport services across various regions.

Following the recent Salford collision, emergency services were quickly on scene. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is investigating the incident.

GMP’s serious collision investigation unit is appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the Salford incident to come forward. Officers are particularly keen to speak to anyone with footage, including dashcam, mobile phone, or doorbell recordings, from the area in the moments leading up to the collision.

Anyone with information is urged to contact police on 0161 856 4741, quoting log number 2226 of July 21, 2025. Alternatively, details can be shared via the LiveChat function on GMP's website or anonymously with the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.