'The Bee Network is a game changer': A new era begins for Greater Manchester's buses - with passengers in the driving seat
23.09.2023 - 06:47
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A new era begins in Greater Manchester this weekend - with bus passengers in the driving seat.
For the first time in almost 40 years, private operators will have no say over routes, fares, frequencies, timetables and overall standards, giving power back to the paying public. Franchising - beginning on public services on Sunday - marks the biggest shake-up of bus services here in a generation.
It's the first step for the Bee Network - Greater Manchester's bold and much-needed plan for an integrated, London-style transport network – and a drive to reverse the decades-long decline in bus patronage.
The overhaul promises to bring low fares and a more joined up and reliable public transport system to communities. Fully-realised, it promises an end to the days where some routes are starved of transport, while others are overwhelmed with vehicles fighting for passengers.
The way that passengers rate their journeys - via an app - will be used to hold operators to account, with financial consequences if the service isn't up to scratch. The vision is that when you get on a bus you'll know exactly what to expect from its facilities. Travelling from one corner of Greater Manchester to another will become less fiddly and dependent on making changes in the city centre.
The cost of public transport is being cut to mark the launch. The new Bee Network app that puts real-time bus, tram and train travel information at customers' fingertips for the first time allows them to buy combined bus and tram tickets at 20 per cent cheaper.
Mr Burnham said: "From Monday on the Bee Network app, people will be able to buy an any bus ticket, unlimited bus travel on any day, plus a zone on Metrolink or two zones, whatever that will be, at a cost that