First Bee Network franchises awarded with nine months until Bee Buses hit the road

The first Bee Network franchises have been awarded with nine months to go until the Bee Buses hit the road.

Operators Go North West & Diamond signed contracts today to run the services across Wigan and Bolton as well as parts of Salford and Bury. The first will operate two large franchises, whilst the latter will operate seven smaller franchises. 

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham announced the contract holders alongside Cllr Eamonn O’Brien leader of Bury Council, Cllr Martyn Cox leader of Bolton Council & Mayor Paul Dennett, City Mayor of Salford.  

Greater Manchester is the first city-region to use powers contained within the Bus Services Act 2017, with operators appointed to run the first locally controlled bus services since they were deregulated in 1986, signifying the biggest change to public transport in generations.

Upon making the announcement, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “Locally controlled bus services are fundamental to our Bee Network vision for a better public transport network for all, and as the first area to do this outside London, Greater Manchester is once again blazing a trail.”

“Passengers are at the very core of our Bee Network vision and when we talk about local accountability, we really mean it – that is why at the heart of our contracts with operators will be a performance regime that will influence operator payments based on those factors that we know are of most importance to customers, including punctuality, reliability and customer complaints.

Currently, like all areas outside of London, the majority of bus services are provided on a commercial basis by private bus companies, with operators deciding on routes, frequencies, timetables, fares and quality standards.

With the Bee Network, the public will be able to hold the operators to account. Transport for Greater Manchester has prioritised a range of improvements to be introduced over the next 12 months, including the launch of the Bee Network Customer Contact Centre, this will provide an accessible and integrated single point of contact for customers travelling in Greater Manchester.

Improvements to passenger information will also be introduced next year, alongside a new Bee Network app, providing access to Bee Network fares and tickets as well as information to help plan your journey, including when there are disruptions.

Contacts will be awarded for phase two of the operation next June, with Rochdale & Oldham being the areas awarded ahead of a 2024 launch. Tameside, Trafford, Manchester & Stockport will be a part of phase three in 2025. Operations from across the city region are currently compiling bids for those areas. 

The Mayor also discussed ambitions for the network to include all modes of public transport in the future, with the aim of having six key rail services included following the buses.