Andy Burnham has announced major changes to the Bee Network — promising more frequent services, new night buses, and cheaper travel for tens of thousands.

After taking every single Greater Manchester bus into public control over the last two years, transport chiefs say they are confident they can increase passenger numbers by 30 percent by the end of the decade, having seen 12 percent and 14 percent surges in the areas of Greater Manchester to get Bee Network buses first.

Speaking at Shudehill bus station on Monday (September 1), the mayor added feedback from the public had driven the changes to keep encouraging more people to use public transport.

"While the Bee Network is already delivering a much improved service compared to the non-franchised system it replaced, with more punctual, frequent, affordable and cleaner buses, we are always looking at how we can improve the experience for everyone travelling with us, and to encourage people to use the bus more often," he said.

"We are still only two years into this journey and these latest announcements underline our commitment to providing the best possible public transport system to support the people, communities and businesses which are helping to grow Greater Manchester's economy."

Andy Burnham announced the changes on 1 September at Shudehill bus station. He's pictured with Vernon Everitt, Transport Commissioner; and Fatima Bangoura, 19, a former Our Pass Ambassador now using the 18-21 pass. (Image - LDRS)

Cheaper travel for young adults

In Greater Manchester, about 50,000 teenagers face a cliff edge every year: They go from having free bus travel aged 16-18, via the Our Pass, to paying full whack when they turn 19.

That changed from Monday, as TfGM launched a 18-21 half-price monthly ticket, taking the cost of unlimited bus travel down from £80 for 28 days to £40 for young adults, or just £1.43 per day.

Fatima Bangoura, 19, said the move was 'a really good step in the right direction' for the 150,000 it can benefit, including thousands of students moving to the city for university.

"The transition between having an Our Pass and paying full price is a burden on young people," she said. "Having this new scheme is going to remove that barrier for young people and encourage them to get into education."

A step closer for the 'twirlies'

At the opposite end of the age spectrum, older people had some good news: The mayor announced pensioners and disabled people who have a concessionary bus pass will be able to use it before 9:30am on another month-long trial in November.

Currently, transport rules say pensioner and disabled concessionary pass holders cannot claim free travel before 9:30am on weekdays. The rule was relaxed for August on a trial basis, and has since been re-introduced, but will be removed again for November following strong demand.

Data from August showed 100,000 concessionary journeys were made before 9:30am, ending the complaints of 'twirlies' — passengers consistently told they are 'too early' to use their pass.

That equates to an extra 6,000 people using the bus every day during one of the quietest periods for bus travel, TfGM said. The November trial will take place when the network is at its busiest, and be used to inform a final decision by the end of 2025.

(Image - Nub News)

Digital passes

The Our Pass, which gives 16-to-18-year-olds free bus travel, is now going digital.

There is still a £10 administration charge, but users can keep the pass in the Bee Network app, making it less likely they will lose it and have to apply for a new one — something which happened to Fatima Bangoura 'six times' last year, she joked.

More than 15,000 teens have already applied for the digital pass for this academic year.

'Express Mode'

Lastly, TfGM has added Bee Network tickets to Apple Pay's 'Express Mode' technology. A small change, it means iPhone and Apple Watch users now do not have to unlock their devices to pay with an already-loaded up bank card on buses and trams; they can just hold their device near the reader and get onboard.

~

Free from clickbait, Stockport Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.

To get our top stories in your inbox each week, subscribe to our free weekly newsletter HERE.

Please consider following Stockport Nub News on Facebook or X