From September 2013 JPT decided to reinstate the route 17 only as far as Middleton, resulting in there being more competition on the route between itself and First Greater Manchester, but with the service running only every 20 minutes, which was not as frequent as before.
In September 2013, JPT resumed route 17 only as far as Middleton, resulting in increased competition with First Greater Manchester, while the service ran less frequently at 20-minute intervals.