Every borough of Greater Manchester to get a night bus service in boost to night-time economy as part of sweeping improvements to the region’s Bee Network announced today
Andy Burnham has revealed 36 service changes, the most significant and wide-ranging upgrades to the Bee Network since bus franchising was completed on time and on budget in January last year.
Five new night buses will bring a 24-hour service to parts of the region that haven’t previously had them, including in Oldham, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford.
Alongside the continuation of existing night bus services, it means that the Bee Network will provide round-the-clock connectivity in all 10 boroughs (Thursday – Saturday), providing support for 625,400 people in jobs that operate late into the night and helping them, and those enjoying everything Greater Manchester’s nightlife has to offer, to get home safely.
There will be Better connections to key employment and leisure destinations such as Manchester Airport, Trafford Centre, MediaCity, Middlebrook Retail Park, Kingsway Business Park and Logistics North
There will be Three new bus services will better connect residents from Woodford Garden Village to Stockport town centre; from Ashton, Stalybridge and communities around Dukinfield to Hyde and from Wigan and St Helens via Abram, Golborne and Newton-le-Willows.
The plans will see More buses during the day, evening and weekends. These include more frequent buses on the route linking Middleton, Stakehill Industrial Park, Rochdale town centre and Kingsway Business Park; on services between Partington and Manchester city centre; between Oldham, Failsworth and Hollinwood and Manchester city centre and those connecting Bury with Bolton, Rochdale and Salford.
Additional capacity is also being provided to accommodate the passenger growth being seen on the busiest Bee Network services, including Oxford Road, one of Europe’s busiest bus corridors.
Announcing the changes Andy Burnham
“These changes will benefit people right across Greater Manchester. They have come about as a direct result of your feedback and support for the Bee Network and have been made possible by the decision we took to bring our buses back under local control.
“By expanding Bee Network night buses to every borough, and providing more frequent services to key employment locations, we are creating more ways for people to access jobs and opportunities across the region.
“This is just the start. As we continue to lead the way on economic growth, so will we continue to lead the way on transforming the Bee Network, setting us up for another decade of good growth so that everyone in Greater Manchester can live a good life.”
