First Bee Network buses for Rochdale, Bury and Oldham ordered

Bee Network buses

An order for the first double-decker Bee Network electric buses for Rochdale, Bury and Oldham has been placed.

The first 50 buses to operate locally have been ordered from manufacturer Alexander Dennis, which will run when the second tranche of franchising is introduced in April 2024.

The very first Bee Network buses – running in Wigan and Bolton – have also been ordered, and will be run by Go North West and Diamond.

The contracts to run the first locally controlled services were signed on Friday 23 December, meaning the first tranche of services will start on 24 September 2023, with Go North West to operate two large franchises and Diamond operating seven smaller franchises across Wigan, Bolton and parts of Salford and Bury.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Locally controlled bus services are fundamental to our Bee Network vision for a better public transport network for all, and as the first area to do this outside London, Greater Manchester is once again blazing a trail.

“Franchising will enable us to better integrate services as part of a joined-up network, with simpler fares and ticketing, a price cap so no one pays more than they need to, a better customer service offer and a single look for the whole network.     

“Passengers are at the very core of our Bee Network vision and when we talk about local accountability, we really mean it – that is why at the heart of our contracts with operators will be a performance regime that will influence operator payments based on those factors that we know are of most importance to customers, including punctuality, reliability and customer complaints.

“The move to franchising is the biggest change to public transport for almost 40 years and today is a significant step on our journey as we appoint operators to run the very first franchised services from September next year and I am especially pleased that both operators provided strong social value plans, with commitments around recruitment and pay in line with the city-region’s Good Employment Charter.”

Improvements to passenger information will also be introduced next year, alongside a new Bee Network app, providing access to Bee Network fares and tickets as well as information to help plan your journey, including when there’s disruptions.

The buses will be funded from the government’s ‘City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement’ (CRSTS), following Greater Manchester’s award of £1.07billion earlier this year, £438m of which is already ringfenced to improve buses, routes and services.