The Bee Network – Greater Manchester’s plan for a London-style transport system – is set to take a step forward with the launch of contactless pay as you go across buses and trams. Those travelling on the Bee Network will be able to touch-in and touch-out, making travel easier and meaning passengers pay the right fare for their journey.
Similar to how customers currently travel on Metrolink, passengers will be able to use their bank card or smart payment device to touch-in on all Bee Network bus services, knowing they will be charged the lowest fare up to the daily cap of £5 or the new weekly cap of £20. As well as extending the system to bus travel, passengers will also be able to travel across both Metrolink and Bee Network bus services and be charged a single, multi-modal fare, instead of having to plan or buy tickets in advance – similar to the experience of travelling in London.
When will the new payment system start?
With just three months to go until all buses in Greater Manchester are back under local control, the date for the introduction of capped contactless payments on Bee Network buses and to support multi-modal travel has been confirmed as March 23, 2025.
How will the touch-in, touch-out payment system work on the Bee Network?
Under the new system, people travelling by Bee Network bus will simply touch on as they board, and their fares will be worked out for them, ensuring they pay no more than the daily or weekly cap. Passengers who use both Bee Network bus and Metrolink can use pay as you go for unlimited, all-day travel across Metrolink and any bus in Greater Manchester costing a maximum of £9.50 – or £7.80 if starting your journey after 9.30am or at weekends. Journeys will also be cheaper if travelling across fewer Metrolink zones.
Like Metrolink and the transport system in London, pay as you go travel will operate initially with adult fares only.
The table below summarises the daily and weekly pay as you go caps that will apply to bus-only and to bus and Metrolink following the introduction of the system in March 2025. Pay as you go will be available across all Bee Network buses but will not be available on non-Bee Network services that operate under a Service Permit in Greater Manchester.
| Cap | 1-day Anytime | 1-day Off-Peak | Weekly |
| Bus only | £5.00 | £20.00 | |
| Bus and any one Metrolink zone | £6.00 | £5.40 | £24.80 |
| Bus and Metrolink zones 2+3 or 3+4 | £6.70 | £6.40 | £28.40 |
| Bus and Metrolink zones 1+2 | £7.30 | £6.70 | £30.30 |
| Bus and Metrolink zones 2+3+4 | £7.60 | £7.00 | £32.50 |
| Bus and Metrolink zones 1+2+3 | £8.70 | £7.30 | £36.40 |
| Bus and all Metrolink zones (1+2+3+4) | £9.50 | £7.80 | £41.00 |
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “In March 2021 I announced that Greater Manchester would bring all of its buses back under local control as part of the Bee Network – providing cheaper, easier and more convenient transport and simple, easy-to-understand fares and tickets.
“Just over a year ago the vision started to become a reality when the Bee Network launched, and we saw the first phase of buses joining the Bee Network – representing the biggest change to the bus network in almost 40 years. On 5 January next year that process will be complete. Every bus in the region will be working as a part of the Bee Network and accountable to passengers.
“We’ve already started to see the benefits franchising is delivering with bus services now cleaner, cheaper and more reliable than before with record numbers of passengers and there is more to come.
“From 23 March pay as you go will be launching across Bee Network buses, building on the system that has been in place on Metrolink since 2019. This is a massive step forward in terms of delivering a London-style transport network for the people of Greater Manchester, putting our region on par with not only the capital but also major cities across the world that offer seamless, integrated travel by public transport.
“Moving to this pay as you go system is going to make public transport more affordable and easier to pay for. It will take the worry out of choosing the right ticket for passengers and encourage many more people to get on board with the Bee Network.”