Buses in Oldham, Royton, Rochdale and parts of Bury, Salford and north Manchester joined the Bee Network on Sunday 24 March.

• More buses, more often, on key routes.
• Later and earlier services linking up first and last trams.
• 50 new Zero Emission Buses and 84 new, best-in-class low emission Bee Network buses being rolled out in the coming months.

Since the bus network (except in London) was privatised in 1986, the number of people taking the bus in major cities outside of London has fallen significantly – in contrast the capital has seen a doubling in bus passengers over the same period.
II Royton we have suffered from a lack of routes, poor frequency of service and no buses at the times people need them to run. Bringing the buses back into public control will mean the buses are as a public service and not simply as a profit generating business.

To help with the afforabilty of the service, fare are currently capped to

• Adult Single journey £2 – Children £1
• Adult 1 day any bus ticket £5 – Children £2.50
• Adult 7 day any bus ticket £21 – Children £10.50

TfGM is already working towards the delivery of a contactless payment system which can used across Metrolink and buses travel across Greater Manchester, allowing people to touch-in/touch-out at different points in their journey, with the best value fare then being applied afterwards – as currently happens on Metrolink. This will be rolled out once the bus network is fully franchised in early 2025.

Vehicles

100 new, electric vehicles have already been ordered from a UK-based manufacturer. The first of these have already been delivered and will feature the distinctive yellow and black colours and symbolic logo of the new Bee Network brand – which will eventually be consistent across bus, tram and cycle hire.
The new vehicles will meet the ‘best in class’ specification set by TfGM following engagement with the public and lived experience groups. Facilities will include audio-visual announcements and USB-charging provision, as well as accessible ramps and two wheelchair spaces.
A programme to upgrade much of the existing fleet will also take place, including to the livery of vehicles to bring them into the Bee Network brand. This process will be gradual and some buses, stops and signage will start turning yellow before franchising goes live. In these cases, vehicles will temporarily carry the brand of both the Bee Network and the existing operator.

We have been promised the return of some local bus services that the private operater cut over the years and we will keep people updated on these valuable local services as more information is available.