Andy Burnham and Transport Commissioner Vernon Everitt were at Shudehill Interchange today to unveil a further raft of changes to improve bus services for people and communities across the city-region.
They include more frequent buses, cheaper travel and new round-the-clock services.
From this Thursday 24-hour pilot bus services will run on the 135 and 17, connecting Manchester and Bury, and Manchester with Rochdale via Middleton.
The round-the-clock buses will serve key employment sites and hospitality spots on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Night buses on the V1 (Leigh via Salford) and 36 (Bolton via Salford), first introduced on a pilot basis in September 2024, will also continue seven days a week until at least March 2026.
Around 150,000 young people aged 18 to 21 can now enjoy half price bus travel, better connecting them to work, training and education opportunities.
Applications open today for the new 18-21 bus pass, meaning young people can buy a 28-day bus travelcard for £40 – half the price of adult fares and the equivalent of just £1.43 per day for unlimited travel on any Bee Network bus in Greater Manchester.
The move is aimed at helping the thousands of young people once their 16-18 ‘Our Pass’ expires, supporting them as they move into further education or the world of work.
For the first time from today, Our Pass – the revolutionary pass which gives Greater Manchester’s 16-18 year olds access to free bus travel and reduced-price tram travel – has gone digital. More than 15,000 young people have applied for the pass this year and successful applicants will now receive their pass in the Bee Network app.
New ‘Express Mode’ has also come to the Bee Network, enabling passengers to use Apple Pay to quickly and simply pay for their travel on the region’s buses and trams using an iPhone or Apple Watch.
Passengers do not need to wake or unlock their iPhone or Apple Watch, or even open an app when paying to ride public transport – making it easier and more convenient to get around.
From today revamped and more frequent 5, 5A and 280 bus services will better serve communities in Trafford. More frequent services will cover more stops including Dunham and Warburton, improving public transport options for people making journeys to and from Altrincham and Sale into Lymm and onto Warrington.
This includes the existing 280 Bee Network service increasing to an hourly frequency – up from a two-hourly service – and extending from Dunham Massey via Warburton to Lymm. It will also operate later into the evening. (See notes for full improvements).
From this week, there’s also increased frequency on popular routes in Bolton and Leigh. The 582 will see the frequency increase from every 12 minutes to every 10 minutes, Monday to Saturday daytime, with evening and weekend improvements too. The V1 will also see peak services increase, including running every 4 minutes between 7am and 8am Monday to Friday from Leigh. (See notes for full improvements).
The month-long trial to lift the pre-9.30am travel restriction for older and disabled people to use their concessionary passes on buses came to an end yesterday. During the trial more than 100,000 journeys were made by older and disabled people before 9.30am, with up to 6,000 people a day making use of the pilot. Of the older people who took part, around 44% of the free journeys were made between 9am and 9.30am, and 68% between 8.30am and 9.30am.
Transport for Greater Manchester is now considering the results of the trial and feedback received by those who took part. The Mayor has announced that a second trial period will take place this November.
