Greater Manchester’s streets turned yellow overnight as the final phase of bus franchising took effect at dawn, placing every local service under public control for the first time since 1986.

Transport for Greater Manchester assumed authority over the city-region’s southern bus routes this morning, completing an 18-month rollout that began in Wigan, Bolton, and parts of Bury and Salford in September 2023. The distinctive yellow-liveried Bee Network buses now serve all 2.8 million residents across Greater Manchester’s ten boroughs.

“This is a big moment for us. It’s a journey the city-region has been on as long as I’ve been around,” Mayor Andy Burnham told reporters. “It’s a huge achievement for us all. I think it’s the biggest change to buses this country has seen in a long, long time.”

The transformation represents the culmination of Burnham’s flagship policy since taking office in 2017. The mayor envisions a transport revolution that persuades Mancunians to abandon their cars for what he promises will be a more reliable, cheaper, and accessible network.

A new ‘tap-in tap-out’ ticketing system launches in March, allowing seamless transfers between buses and trams while guaranteeing passengers the lowest fare. The mayor has also committed to bringing eight commuter railway lines under public control by 2028, with some transitions beginning next year. These services will adopt the same yellow branding and integrate into the unified payment system.

Burnham acknowledged potential early disruptions, warning that “there will be challenges in the early days” after experiencing teething problems during the first two rollout phases.

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