Bee Network records busiest ever day

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Greater Manchester’s Bee Network bus services recorded their busiest ever day on Friday 6th September, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has revealed.

295,577 passengers opted for Bee Network bus travel on 5 September, smashing the previous record of 293,743 set on 1 May. But this was then bettered the following day, when 305,626 hopped on board Bee Network bus services, setting a new patronage high point.

It comes as Greater Manchester approaches the first anniversary of beginning to take buses under local control, a process that will be completed in early January next year when the third and final phase is rolled out in south Manchester.

The Bee Network has made it possible to drive up reliability through timetable changes and adding extra buses where performance had previously not been good enough, increasing the public’s confidence in franchised services.

Stephen Rhodes, Director of Bus at Transport for Greater Manchester said:

“This is hugely encouraging news and shows that our commitment to reliability, accessibility, affordability and safety on our bus network is resulting in more and more people wanting to travel with us.

“It’s a real boost to see patronage at this level nearly a year into the bus franchising process and a sign we are heading in the right direction as we look forward to bringing the rest of the network under public control next year.”

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:

“I am delighted that so many people are now choosing to get on board our Bee Network buses to make their journeys, with new patronage records being set twice recently.

“We’re doing everything we can to make travelling by bus a pleasant and safe experience for everyone – and having so many people using Bee Network buses also helps us keep our fares low.

“We’re on a journey of continuous improvement and I look forward to more and more people travelling by bus as we grow and develop the network, meeting the needs of people across Greater Manchester.”

In September 2023 Greater Manchester became the first area in the country to begin the process of taking bus services under local control for almost 40 years under the historic Bee Network.

Currently around half of Greater Manchester’s bus services are under local control, and the figures are for services in these areas. The remaining 50% – in the south of Greater Manchester, including Stockport – will join the Bee Network on 5 January 2025.

The Bee Network is Greater Manchester’s vision for an integrated London-style transport system, incorporating bus, tram and active travel, with rail joining by 2028.