latest round of Bee Network bus contract awards has seen Go North West and First Manchester appointed to run school bus services on phase two of the network.
Go North West has been awarded three contracts and First Manchester six contracts, covering a total of 11 schools in Oldham, Rochdale, Manchester and Bury – with franchised bus services beginning to operate from Monday 25 March, 2024.
As part of the Bee Network buses in Greater Manchester are being brought back under local control through franchising in three phases. The first phase, covering Bolton, Wigan and parts of Manchester, Salford and Bury went live on 24 September 2023 – and was the biggest change to the way bus services operate in the region for almost 40 years.
The second phase of franchising will be launched in Oldham, Rochdale, and parts of Bury, Salford and north Manchester on 24 March 2024. Go North West and First will operate school services and other general Bee Network bus services will be run by Stagecoach, First and Diamond – as announced in June 2023.
As well as prioritising performance and reliability, bringing buses under local control is proving more efficient and effective than the current deregulated market, with franchised services costing less than those recently funded by TfGM after they were withdrawn by operators.
There will be no changes to the schools served or the numbers of buses used under the new contracts. As with other Bee Network services, ensuring a reliable service is a key part of these contracts, and operators will be subject to financial penalties for poor performance.
Anne Marie Purcell, TfGM’s Bus Franchising Director, said: “There continues to be a high level of interest in the Bee Network bus contracts and we saw a strong response from operators to run school bus services.
“Regular, reliable school bus services are vital for young people getting to and from school and we made performance and reliability a key part of the contract award process to make sure that is the case.
“Both Go North West and First Manchester provided extremely strong submissions and we are looking forward to working with them over the coming months and years as the Bee Network continues to develop and we work together to provide the best possible bus services we can for everyone in Greater Manchester.”
