TfGM Commercial Assets and Oldham Transport Updates 2026

Transport for Greater Manchester has quietly opened every bus, tram stop and patch of spare land it owns to advertisers, film crews and commercial tenants, saying the extra cash is now essential to keep the Bee Network running and fares down.

Oldham passengers are already seeing the first fruits: money from wraps on double-deckers and station posters is paying for the next wave of zero-emission buses, with TfGM confirming that every pound raised helps hold ticket prices at today's levels.

The list of past advertisers reads like a roll-call of the city-region's big hitters: BBC shoots at Victoria, Manchester City branding on Metrolink stops, and Manchester Pride rainbow vinyl across bus fleets. TfGM says those deals brought in enough to cover a year of subsidised school fares.

Behind the scenes, location managers have been offered keys to depots, viaducts and mothballed rail tunnels for filming, while surplus plots beside stations are being packaged for rent or redevelopment. No sites in Oldham have been named yet, but the tender documents leave space for 'district-specific opportunities'.

Council leaders welcome the income but admit it is a balancing act: more ads mean more cash for services, yet residents have already asked whether every shelter and ticket hall will soon carry a brand. TfGM promises a cap on 'visual clutter', yet has not set a limit on how many new deals it will sign before 2027.