Manchester’s first locally controlled bus service in 40 years launches Sunday

A Bee Network App which shows Greater Manchester’s bus, tram and train travel times in real time has officially gone live today.

The news comes ahead of the launch of Greater Manchester’s first locally controlled bus services in nearly 40 years, taking to the roads this Sunday, September 24th. 

Commuters can download the app today on the App store or Google Play and have all the information and tickets they need for their journey through the convenience of a touch of a button.

With Bee Network services starting on Sunday (September 24th), customers can now download the Bee Network App or visit the new website, where they can get access to live departure times, see where their nearest bus or tram stop is or rate their journey. 

Combined bus and tram tickets will also be available from Sunday – which could work out as 20% cheaper than Anybus and Metrolink tickets when purchased separately – as part of a newly reformed Greater Manchester public transport system.

The move represents the biggest change to public transport in a generation, after services were deregulated across Great Britain in 1986. 

Since then, the number of bus journeys made in London – where bus services remained under local control – has doubled, while in Greater Manchester bus use has fallen from 355m in 1986/87, to just over 182m at the end of the last decade (and before Covid).

Bus franchising signifies the start of the Bee Network and is the first step in reversing decades-long decline in bus use, with the recently published GM Bus Strategy setting out how the city-region aims to deliver 50 million more bus journeys each year by the end of the decade.

Passengers can give feedback via the Rate Your Journey feature, which will be key to making bus services accountable to the travelling public in Greater Manchester for the first time in decades.

Customer focused performance targets – including punctuality and reliability of services and levels of customer complaints – will sit at the heart of the operators’ contracts and impact what they get paid.

And a new Bee Network customer contact centre means customers can now get in touch have their say about transport in Greater Manchester by calling to speak to a member of staff.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said it was an exciting moment for public transport in the city region.

He said: “This is a real milestone for the Bee Network coming less than a week before the first phase of bus franchising begins.

“It’s a taste of how, under this new system, customers will have a much better travelling experience, with their wants and needs coming first and foremost at all times.

“Our new app and website bring passenger travel in Greater Manchester firmly into the 21st century, with timetables, tickets and live updates literally at people’s fingertips.”

Norman Baker from Campaign for Better Transport said the ‘Bee Network will be the first integrated transport system of its kind in 40 years’.

“It’s fantastic to see how this will benefit Manchester, beginning with the first phase of Bee buses being brought under local control, while the network’s new app and website will make planning and paying for journeys simple and seamless,” he added.

Vernon Everitt, Greater Manchester Transport Commissioner, has welcomed the transformation that the launch of the Bee Network will bring.

“The new Bee Network, alongside the first phase releases of a new app and website and an integrated contact centre, will help us to usher in a new era of joined up public transport and active travel in the region,” he said.

“Better transport will help grow the region’s economy and productivity, delivering new homes, jobs and inclusivity.

“The Rate Your Journey facility on the app will allow passengers to have their say directly to us and bus operators, bringing sharper accountability for services and shaping further improvements to the Bee Network,” Mr Everitt continued.

He added: “All buses will be franchised by January 2025, enabling full ‘tap and go’ integrated ticketing across Metrolink and buses.

“We are also working with the rail industry to begin bringing tap and go payment to the region’s rail network in 2025 as part of fully joining up all public transport services and cycle hire.”

With accessibility and inclusivity in mind, a fleet of 50 new zero-emission, Bee Network-branded buses (ZEBs) will come into service. These will include two bays for wheelchair-users, hearing induction loops, audio and visual announcement systems and anti-slip flooring.

Buses already running in Greater Manchester will be upgraded over the next two years as The Bee Network strives for full accessibility across the city region.