Bus services show signs of improvement one month on from Bee Network launch

Following the launch of the Bee Network in September, newly franchised bus services are showing improved service levels and operating the same or better than de-regulated counterparts.

On 24th September, Greater Manchester became the first area in England outside London to begin returning control of its bus services to local government after deregulation in 1986. Bolton, Wigan and parts of Salford and Bury saw new ticket machines and software installed on hundreds of buses, as well as the transfer of around 1,000 drivers.

The launch of the Bee Network has boosted the number of people travelling by bus and driven an improvement in bus services in recent weeks. Weekday patronage is up around 8% on Bee Network services since the the end of September, while money generated from fares is also above the level originally forecast by between 10% and 15%. Punctuality has also risen, from 70.7% to 74.4%, although remains below the Bee Network’s target of 80% services arriving on time.

Greater Manchester is now responsible for 188 bus routes, equating to around 20% of the overall Greater Manchester bus network. The next phase of franchising will see buses in Oldham, Rochdale, and parts of Bury, Salford and north Manchester come under local control on 24 March 2024, with the remainder of Greater Manchester bus services including those in Stockport joining the Bee Network in January 2025.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:

“We moved to the first phase of a new way of running buses in Greater Manchester literally overnight, and the scale of change cannot be underestimated.

“There are already so many benefits to franchising. We brought in the £2 cap; we have earlier, later and more frequent bus services; the quality of our buses has improved; they are now integrated through multi-modal, cheaper ticketing with our Metrolink tram system; and passengers have a voice that will be listened to.

“We didn’t expect everything to be perfect, but everyone involved has rolled up their sleeves and has been working hard to make things better.

“I would like to thank customers for providing their feedback about their journeys. This has meant we’ve been alerted to issues much quicker than before and further enabled us to respond quickly. Pleasingly, we have already seen an increase in passenger numbers on franchised services too.

“I’m pleased to say we are seeing improvements day-by-day; performance and reliability is up with busway services operating at a higher-level year on year, and I’m confident this will soon be mirrored across other services.

“This is just the start, and there is much more to come and much to be excited about. I have no doubt the Bee Network will be transformational for everyone living, working and visiting Greater Manchester.”

Over the next few years more than £400 million will be invested to improve bus services, including reliability, with new bus lanes and other priority measures being developed to connect our towns and cities, alongside more electric buses and better passenger information. TfGM has also been working with local authorities to reduce disruption to bus routes caused by roadworks, and improve bus punctuality by installing traffic signal technology to prioritise buses.

Customer travel information has been enhanced and work has been done to resolve the small number of technical issues which were experienced around the launch of franchised services. Further improvements continue to be made to the Bee Network App including additional travel information and the addition of a Metrolink Zonal Map. Apple and Google Pay functions will be coming online in November, with a journey planning feature being added in the new year.

TfGM has also begun awarding contracts for the second phase of the Bee Network rollout in March 2024, with Go North West and First Manchester appointed to run school bus services in Oldham, Rochdale, parts of Manchester and Bury.