Operators confirmed to run Stockport Bee Network bus services from January 2025

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has awarded contracts to operate the final round of Bee Network services in Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and remaining parts of Manchester and Salford.

Currently around 50% of services – in Wigan, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford and parts of north Manchester – are franchised Bee Network services. The remaining parts of the city-region will see their local bus services come into the Bee Network on 5th January 2025, from which point, all buses in Greater Manchester will be under local control.

Contracts have been awarded across nine franchises (five large and four small), covering across the south of Greater Manchester and will total 248 different services.

In Stockport, Stagecoach has been awarded the contract to operate the large franchise that will cover most of the borough’s buses.

Metroline has been awarded contracts to operate the remaining four of the five large franchises. Diamond Bus has been awarded contracts to run three of the four small franchises and Go North West the remaining one.

All franchises will run services according to Bee Network specification and standards. As with phases one and two, the winning bidders for the final phase of franchising provided strong social value plans, linked to the city-region’s Good Employment Charter. Passengers are on course to benefit from another 120 brand new, fully accessible electric buses – with more to follow. 

Chief Executive of GMCA and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), Eamonn Boylan, said:

“Awarding the last round of franchised contracts is a major milestone towards delivering the Bee Network. That ambition is central to our devolution journey.

“It’s exciting to think that in around nine months’ time all bus services across the whole of Greater Manchester will be under local control and accountable to the people they serve.

“We look forward to working with the winning bidders over the coming months as we prepare to deliver this positive change for people and businesses in Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and the rest of Manchester and Salford from January next year.”

As with the introduction of Bee Network services in other parts of Greater Manchester, changes are planned from day one that will see more frequent, earlier, and later running services and better connections to first and last tram and train services. These include later trips on the 314 and 325 for train connections at Stockport, earlier trips on the 330 and earlier and later services on the 347 to connect with Metrolink services at Ashton.

These improvements build on those being introduced in the first two phases of bus franchising which are now underway. In phase one areas for example, additional buses are being added on some routes on a 12-month trial basis.  Performance of franchised bus services in phase one is positive, with punctuality consistently tracking above both the non-franchised network and the equivalent to the Bee Network this time last year.

The Bee Network contract awards follow the opening of Stockport’s new town centre transport interchange on the former bus station site in March 2024.

Pictured: (L-R) Ben Jarvis, Commercial Director, Stagecoach Manchester; Anne Marie Purcell, TfGM’s Chief Transformation Officer; Rob Jones, Managing Director of Stagecoach Manchester; Nathan Ward, Business Development Manager, Stagecoach: Ray O’Toole, Non Executive Chairman at Stagecoach.