News
1,500 ‘Bee Bikes’ to be introduced across Greater Manchester this autumn
The Bee Bikes come as part of a larger plan to get the region cycling again
A bicycle hire system will be introduced across Greater Manchester this autumn, it has been confirmed this week.
The new initiative comes as part of the region’s Bee Network, a ten year, £1.5 billion plan to create 1,800 miles of walking/cycling routes in the city-region.
1,500 ‘Bee Bikes’ will be rolled out across 200 docking stations in Manchester, Salford and Trafford during the first phase of the plan in November – more boroughs will be included at a later date.
Transport Commissioner Chris Boardman said that over 100,000 local households will live within a 5-minute walk of a Bee Bike docking station.
“Today is a major milestone for the city-region – not only do we have a solid plan to make vehicles on our roads cleaner, we’ll soon be bringing cycle hire to our streets – providing a healthy, convenient, non-polluting transport option for tens of thousands of people.
“Together with our plans for hundreds of miles of cycling and walking routes by 2024, we are building a truly world-leading sustainable transport system.”
Transport for Greater Manchester report that demand for bicycles across the region is up by 20%, though only 16% of people living in flats have access to their own bike.
This comes just after £150m of government funding was secured for Greater Manchester’s ‘Clean Air Zone’ was secured – the scheme which will see highly-polluting vehicles face extra costs to drive across the county.
Heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches will need to pay £60 a day to drive within the zone, with vans paying £10 and taxi and private hire vehicles paying £7.50. Failure to pay the charge will also result in a £120 fine plus the daily charge.
‘Tackling pollution cannot be ignored any more,’ Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said on air pollution levels in across the region, which contribute to around 1,200 deaths every year.
He said: “Coming out of the pandemic, I think we’ve got to get a lot more serious about people’s health and health inequalities that we have in this city region and across the country.”
We’re pleased to announce that Proper Manchester is rebranding as Finest City Guides.
As part of this change, the Proper Manchester brand, including its social media channels, will transition to the Finest City Guides name.
This is a rebrand of the existing platform rather than a new or unrelated business. The same team behind Proper Manchester will continue to operate Finest City Guides as we develop the platform under its new identity.
Previous name: Proper Manchester
New name: Finest City Guides
Our social channels and other brand assets will be updated to reflect the Finest City Guides name as part of this transition.
More from Finest City Guides coming soon.
News
Oasis announce huge reunion tour as Liam and Noel Gallagher ‘make peace’
The news we’ve all been waiting for!
After years of will-they-won’t-they speculation, Oasis are officially BACK together for a reunion tour.
The Gallagher brothers have put aside their differences in the name of music, making thousands of fans extremely happy in the process.
The band teased the news on their socials over the weekend, posting a video on Sunday morning with today’s date (Tuesday, August 27th) and the time 8am.
And now shows have been announced for multiple dates in the UK and Ireland, with tickets going live this Saturday, August 31st.
The legendary Mancunian rockers will take to the stage next summer, with gigs in Cardiff, London, Edinburgh, Dublin and, of course, Manchester.
15 years after splitting, the band confirmed they would be back for 14 shows, saying: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised”.
The gigs will be Oasis’s ‘only shows in Europe next year’, with tickets on sale this Saturday at 8am in Ireland and 9am in the UK.
The Oasis 2025 tour dates in full:
July
4th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium
5th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium
11th – Manchester, Heaton Park
12th – Manchester, Heaton Park
19th – Manchester, Heaton Park
20th – Manchester, Heaton Park
25th – London, Wembley Stadium
26th – London, Wembley Stadium
August
2nd – London, Wembley Stadium
3rd – London, Wembley Stadium
8th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
9th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
16th – Dublin, Croke Park
17th – Dublin, Croke Park
You can grab your tickets HERE.
News
Stagecoach hiring over 100 new bus drivers for Bee Network with £31k salaries
Fancy a career change?
Stagecoach Manchester is hiring over 100 new bus drivers to work from its Oldham depot, following the second phase of the Bee Network launch in March.
You can apply for a range of roles, from positions with no experience required to fully qualified bus drivers.
Successful applicants will receive full training as part of the job, and trainees will get paid to train. Then after only 12 months’ service at Stagecoach, drivers can expect to earn up to £16 per hour, which equates to £31.6K per year, before overtime.
As well as that, drivers that already hold a PCV licence may be eligible to receive a £1,200 joining bonus.
Stagecoach
There’s also a host of other benefits available to all Stagecoach employees, like 28 days paid holiday, generous pension and free Stagecoach bus travel for successful applicants and a companion.
Rob Jones, Managing Director at Stagecoach Manchester said: “Expanding our offering in Oldham means we’ll be investing more in the economy and supporting our local community, as well as strengthening our workforce.
“Whether you’re looking for a career change or you’re a fully qualified, experienced bus driver, there’s a role for everyone here in Oldham.
“We’re looking for personable and dedicated drivers who are ready to help us build on the success of the Bee Network and connect the people of Oldham and Greater Manchester with the places and people that are important to them.”
Stagecoach
Phil Cornwall, bus driver at Stagecoach Manchester, said: “I’ve been a driver at Stagecoach for 25 years and I couldn’t recommend it more.
“From the perks to the people to the passengers, it really is a great place to work.”
To apply, head to the Stagecoach website HERE.
Find something to do in Manchester
Powered by 
Proper Manchester is becoming Finest City Guides
Famous faces to come to life in ‘groundbreaking’ new immersive National Portrait Gallery exhibition
Pub dementia group struggling to run free regular afternoon meet ups with rising costs
Ornella’s Kitchen and more coming to Freight Island as part of huge summer programme
Manchester to transform into HUGE interactive playzone for free family festival this February half term
