Around 150,000 18–21-year-olds in Greater Manchester will benefit from half price Bee Network bus travel, better connecting them to work, training or education opportunities.
Set to launch on 1 September 2025, young people will be able to buy a 28-day bus travelcard for £40 – half the adult fare price they would normally pay. Equivalent to just £1.43 per day, it provides unlimited travel on any Bee Network bus – including a growing network of night buses – helping young people to earn, learn and socialise.
The plans were announced earlier this week by Mayor Andy Burnham as part of the launch of the Greater Manchester Strategy (GMS), the region’s vision for the next decade to grow the local economy and ensure everyone can live well.
It’s the latest initiative to help young people get on in Greater Manchester, with direct access to good jobs and training opportunities through the trailblazing Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (Mbacc). Cut-price travel on the Bee Network is all part of the drive to better connect more young people with opportunities anywhere in Greater Manchester with affordable, more reliable and fully integrated public transport.
Alongside half price travel for young people, disabled and older people in Greater Manchester are set to benefit from free round-the-clock bus travel next month as part of a new pilot.
Currently those with a TfGM-issued concessionary travel pass can travel for free between 9.30am and midnight during the week and all day on weekends and public holidays.
Starting on Friday 1 August, the pre-9.30am travel restriction will be lifted on a trial basis for a month. As well as free early morning travel, it will mean older and disabled people will be able to board the Bee Network’s night buses, all night, for free for the first time. TfGM will gather data on the demand to see if a permanent change is possible.
