The corridor runs from Parrs Wood to Manchester city centre along Wilmslow and Oxford Roads, serving Didsbury, Withington, Fallowfield and Rusholme.

[1][2] However, this is difficult to verify because: The 3.7 mile stretch of route between Piccadilly Gardens and Withington has a timetabled average of at least one bus per minute in each direction on Monday to Friday daytimes during university term.

[needs update] The half mile stretch of route in the city centre between the RNCM and Oxford Road station has a timetabled average of nearly a bus every 30 seconds in each direction.

In 2006, the Parliamentary Select Committee on Transport was told:[1] The Wilmslow Road corridor, although enjoying a level of service that no other route in England has in terms of the frequency of buses, is chaos.

Finglands Coachways started operating their own competitive bus services soon after, capitalising on the lack of capacity for students along the route.

Intense competition from a new operator called UK North led to lower fares, with Finglands Coachways offering a £2 student weekly ticket in 2001.

[9] Stagecoach Manchester introduced 30 new Alexander Dennis Enviro400H hybrid electric double-deck buses on services 42 and 43 in September 2010.

[10] Bullocks Coaches were also awarded similar funding for the delivery of four Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 bodied Volvo B5LHs for use on Oxford Road Link route 147 in collaboration with the University of Manchester.

[15] In response on 19 May 2014, Stagecoach Manchester introduced route 38 from Farnworth to Rusholme via Salford and the city centre.

Following the sale of the Finglands business to First Greater Manchester on 9 February 2014,[14] the new operator extended its route 42 services to become a cross city service from North Manchester General Hospital under the Cross Connect banner on 26 April 2014, operated using a fleet of new Alexander Dennis Enviro400 double-decker buses and Wright StreetLite single-deck buses.

[19] From 5 January 2025, the route began to be operated by Metroline Manchester as part of Tranche 3 of Bee Network.

42B was the updated all-stop replacement for X57/145 which operated morning only Cheadle Hulme to Albert Square one-way.

Route V4 provides peak time extras between Ellensbrook and Manchester Royal Infirmary using standard Bee Network vehicles.

[20] Route 23 is operated by Stagecoach Manchester every 15 minutes, and runs from Stockport to the Trafford Centre via Didsbury, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Stretford and Urmston.

Route 53 is operated by Stagecoach Manchester and runs from Cheetham Hill to Pendleton every 30 minutes via Gorton, Rusholme, Old Trafford and Salford Quays.