Greater Manchester is readying to launch cheaper and simpler bus fares, with one week to go until it brings all its buses under local control.
From Sunday we will see Bee Network buses run across the whole of the city-region for the first time, with more than 250 routes in Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and parts of Manchester and Salford joining on 5 January.
As a result, a new fare structure – aimed at being easier to understand and cheaper for all passengers – will be launched in all Greater Manchester’s communities:
All single fares on any Bee Network bus will cost just £2 for adults and £1 for children, despite the national cap rising to £3
Every single fare will also become a ‘hopper’, meaning passengers can use the ticket to ‘hop on’ as many Bee Network buses as they like within one hour of purchase
Unlimited travel on all Bee Network buses will also become cheaper:
1 day Bee Bus ticket: £5 adult / £2.50 child
7 day Bee Bus ticket: £20 adult / £10 child (down from £21 and £10.50)
28 day Bee Bus ticket: £80 adult / £40 child (down from £84.50 and £42.70
A new Bee Bus Annual ticket will, for the first time, provide unlimited travel on all Bee Network buses for a year for just £2.20 a day. Offering a saving of up to £240, people can buy up front or spread the cost weekly and monthly through participating Credit Unions across Greater Manchester.
The simpler fare structure across all buses is possible thanks to Greater Manchester adopting a franchising model, a process that started last year in some towns and will be completed on 5 January.
More than half the buses set to run on routes joining the Bee Network in the south of Greater Manchester will be new vehicles, rising to 66% in April. The new yellow fleet is currently being assembled at Manchester Airport and Ministry of Defence bases across Greater Manchester.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:
“Our mission, when we set out to build the Bee Network, was to make getting around Greater Manchester easier, cheaper and more reliable. Doing so will mean we connect people to education, jobs and each other like never before. We’re sticking to that promise.
“We’re cutting the price of travel to get more people on board and putting an end to the complicated and disjointed tickets that people have previously struggled with.
“Whilst next week will be an important step our journey, we’re not letting up on delivering even more improvements. The rollout of tap in, tap out contactless across bus and tram in March – with clear daily and weekly caps – will be a major moment for in creating the London-style, integrated public transport system we set out to.”
Simpler bus fares in a week’s time will be a key step on Greater Manchester’s journey to create a truly integrated, London-style public transport system – an ambitious first in the UK to better connect communities and boost economic growth.
Next up will be the launch of contactless payments across both Bee Network buses and trams on 23 March 2025. The move will transform the experience for passengers, who will be able to tap in and tap out on buses and trams and know that they’ll always pay the best fare over the day or week.
