Bee Network night buses are proving popular with those working in or enjoying Greater Manchester’s night-time economy with thousands of people getting onboard in the first month.
Running on a trial basis, the services on the V1 and 36 routes connecting Manchester with Leigh and Bolton via Salford run at least every hour both ways, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Between 1st September and 28th September, around 7,000 trips were made across the new, additional hourly services which run between midnight and 6.30am on the V1, and 11.45pm and 6.55am on the 36.
These journeys account for 14% of overnight trips on both routes, with Friday and Saturday nights proving the most popular among passengers.
The scheme is also having a positive impact on the number of people using later-running services, with a total of 53,413 travelling on both new and existing night buses between 10pm and 7am.
In addition, the week weekly average number of passengers boarding the V1 and 36 between 10pm and 7am has grown by 4% on the former and 6% on the latter.
The 24/7 transport pilot scheme is providing 24-hour connectivity for around 135,000 people living within a five-minute walk of the two routes, including students and people working in the hospitality, healthcare and logistics sectors.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “Before we launched this pilot, we knew that people had been crying out for better public transport at night and into the early mornings, so I am really encouraged to see so many people are making use of our night buses.
“Providing late-night bus services remains a key part of our vision for the Bee Network, and these encouraging figures show that the demand is there for safer, reliable and more affordable public transport at these times of the evening.
“The far-ranging benefits of these services are already being felt, whether it’s helping people getting home from a night out and boosting our night-time economy, or creating essential new connections for the people working within this sector to get to and from their place of work.
“This pilot is crucial in allowing us to gather the insight we need to deliver on our aspirations for more Bee Network night buses, while also making the case for extra funding to provide better services for the people and businesses in Greater Manchester.”
