A new report published by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has revealed how the launch of the Bee Network has changed how people get around the city-region.
‘Delivering Better Bus Services for Greater Manchester’, sets out the story so far since bus franchising began in September 2023, including the wide-ranging positive impacts for passengers and communities. The report shows that under local control, services are now more punctual than those they replaced and more people are choosing to travel by bus in a massive vote of confidence in Greater Manchester public transport system.
Since the Bee Network’s launch, the number of bus journeys by passengers rose 14% year on year in the first franchising areas, while punctuality now regularly exceeds 80%, compared to around 66% of services running on time under the private sector. 113 TravelSafe Support & Enforcement Officers have also been introduced on board Bee Network services and at bus interchanges and Metrolink stops.
The period covered by the report also included the opening of Stockport’s new bus interchange, which has been praised in passenger feedback shared by TfGM, including for its accessibility improvements.
Vernon Everitt, Transport Commissioner for Greater Manchester, said:
“Greater Manchester is a growth success story with an £80 billion economy, a growing population and world-leading businesses. Enabling this is the Bee Network, Greater Manchester’s integrated public transport and active travel network.
“While it is still early days, since buses were brought back under local control – on time and on budget – there has been a 14% year-on-year increase in passenger numbers, buses are more punctual, fares are more affordable and we have introduced hugely popular ‘tap and go’ payment with millions of journeys being made using it.
“This is a network being run in a way which puts people first and I want to thank the staff of our operators and TfGM for everything they are doing to make it a success. We know that we are still at the beginning of our journey and we are committed to continuous improvement to support the people, communities and businesses of Greater Manchester in growing our economy.”
Looking ahead, the government has confirmed a £2.5 billion funding boost for the next phase of the network, which will include a Metrolink extension to Stockport, Bee Network rail integration and further investment in zero-emission public transport.
Over the coming months TfGM will develop plans to grow the network and further improve the service for those getting on board. These plans will set out how the Bee Network intends to go further by connecting more communities, delivering further improvements to reliability, and improving the customer experience.
These include area-based Network Reviews which will shape routes and implement service changes and improvements based on feedback gathered from communities. Development of Network Reviews for Bolton and Wigan will be implemented in autumn 2026, with other areas to follow.
Further improvements will bring far-reaching Bee Network benefits to communities across Greater Manchester, supporting the delivery of thousands of new homes, skilled jobs and green growth.
