Two new functions that will make it easier for people to plan and track their bus journeys are being added the Bee Network app, as Greater Manchester gets ready for the next phase of bus franchising in just over a week’s time.
A new journey planner is now available on the Bee Network with a live bus tracking service to follow over the next week, adding to an existing range of useful functions on the app for customers.
The journey planner will enable people to plan any trip using public transport, whether it’s bus, tram or train, as well as walking, wheeling and cycling routes. The planner will also show Park and Ride locations and bike hire stations.
Meanwhile, the bus tracker will allow customers to see where their bus is on a map. In the coming weeks, work will be ongoing to continually improve the accuracy of the service as Greater Manchester takes on more control of the network.
The new additions have been designed to complement existing Bee Network app features including live departure times for local bus, tram and train stops and stations; the ability to buy tram tickets, Bee AnyBus travelcards, and Bee AnyBus + Tram travelcards; access to travel alerts and the ‘rate my journey feature’.
The bus tracker will be rolled out in the next week ahead of the second phase of franchised bus services launching in Oldham, Rochdale and parts of Bury, Salford and North Manchester on Sunday, 24 March.
The change next Sunday (24 March) will mean a total of 324 bus routes – 188 routes in phase one and 136 routes in phase two – totalling 50% of the bus network in Greater Manchester, will be managed by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) as part of the Bee Network. General bus services in phase two will be operated by Stagecoach, First Group and Diamond under a franchising arrangement.
