Just what does the ‘biggest bus change yet’ mean for passengers?
Greater Manchester has completed the final phase of its bus franchising initiative, bringing all bus services under public control for the first time since 1986. The Bee Network now covers the entire region, featuring yellow buses, a £2 fare cap, and plans for a London-style tap-in/tap-out system by mid-March.
Bee Network Seizes Final Routes, Completing Public Takeover of Every Greater Manchester Bus
Greater Manchester woke Sunday to the largest bus-system upheaval Britain has seen in decades, as Transport for Greater Manchester assumed control of the last privately-run routes across the city-region’s southern half. The overnight transfer brings every local service under public oversight for the first time since 1986 and swells the fleet of bright-yellow Bee Network vehicles onto roads in Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, south Manchester and remaining pockets of Salford.
Anne Marie Purcell, the TfGM director steering the transition, boarded early services to monitor roll-out glitches she admits are inevitable. “There will be teething problems,” Purcell said, recalling similar disruption when Wigan and Bolton switched 16 months ago. “The key thing is how we manage them and avoid as much disruption as possible.” Operator Metroline, new to the region, has already trained more than 100 drivers and engineers to cushion the change.
Passengers will notice little difference in timetables for now—routes and the £2 adult single fare remain frozen while TfGM conducts network reviews—but the kaleidoscope of company colours has vanished; every bus must carry Bee Network yellow livery. Greater Manchester’s fare cap stays £1 below the £3 English standard after Chancellor Rachel Reeves extended the region’s £640 million Bus Service Improvement Plan in October, though the mayor confirmed the cap faces review later this year.
Mayor Andy Burnham hailed Sunday’s milestone as “the end of the beginning” for his long-promised London-style integrated network. Tap-in, tap-out contactless payment, already used on Metrolink trams, will reach buses in mid-March, and Burnham aims to fold eight commuter rail lines into the same system starting next year, each painted yellow and governed by the same simple fare structure.
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