The history of route 192 dates back to the days of horse-drawn trams, when a service from Torkington Road, approximately half a mile from the Rising Sun in Hazel Grove, commenced in 1889.

Following deregulation on 26 October 1986, the route was taken over by GM Buses and other operators, such as Finglands Coachways and Wall's Coaches, who introduced rival 192 services.

The service begins at either Hazel Grove Park & Ride or Stepping Hill Hospital, and operates via Heaviley, Stockport, Heaton Chapel, Levenshulme, Longsight and Ardwick to Piccadilly Gardens.

Stagecoach Manchester responded by increasing services and introducing its no-frills Magic Bus brand along the route to compete with the lower-priced UK North.

[14] The resulting bus war led to the route becoming overly congested to the point of being dangerous,[15] forcing buses to queue behind each other waiting for passengers.

[5] The situation ceased in December 2006, when UK North had its licence terminated, due to concerns over the safety of its vehicles and the standard of training given to its drivers.

[17] The machines cost around £80,000 and were installed by Stagecoach and GMPTE for a 12-month trial, enabling tickets to be bought beforehand and saving time when boarding the bus.