This Sunday 24 March buses in Bolton, Wigan, part of Bury, Salford and north Manchester will come back under public control for the first time in almost 40 years as phase two of the Bee Network is introduced. It has now been announced that in addition, night buses will run at least once an hour as part of a transport pilot, connecting towns like Leigh and Bolton to Salford and Manchester.
Night buses will run on the V1 and the 36 which operate to Manchester from Leigh and Bolton respectively, areas which fall within the Bee Network, where bus services are back under local control for the first time in almost 40 years.
These routes have been chosen given the limited existing night time transport in the north west of Greater Manchester, as well as their proximity to key night time economy employment sites, such as hospitals and distribution centres. They also serve areas with high numbers of people less likely to own a car and more likely to use public transport, including students.
Further details confirm that the pilot will launch later this year and will run for a year, with a review point planned to allow councillors to consider the performance and cost of the scheme, and whether the frequency can be increased.
Buses will run at least once per hour in each direction on both routes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The night buses will also use the same capped bus fares first introduced in 2022 to provide a simplified ticket offer which is consistent with services across Greater Manchester.
As part of the pilot’s development over the coming months, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) will work with the TravelSafe Partnership to consider the appropriate level of support at key interchanges and onboard buses, including in-person patrols.
The rollout will be supported by TravelSafe Live Chat, which the travelling public will be able to access via the Bee Network app to discreetly report crime and antisocial behaviour to professionally trained Greater Manchester Police call handlers.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “Greater Manchester is a 24-hour city and should have a public transport system to match, so I’m delighted that we’re introducing a night bus pilot in the next few months that will support workers – whether that’s in health and social care, bars and clubs, distribution centres or anywhere else – as well as those wanting to get home after a night out.
“We know how important it is that people feel safe when using public transport at any time of day, but especially at night. As we develop our plans for the pilot, we’ll be working closely with the TravelSafe Partnership, Greater Manchester Police and voluntary organisations to make sure the right level of support is available so people can travel at all times of day with confidence.
“This pilot gives us the chance to see how people use transport at night and take the first step towards an improved, around-the-clock transport service for the people of Greater Manchester.”
The pilot will focus primarily on supporting people working in Greater Manchester’s night time economy, in which up to a third of the region’s workforce is employed. This includes the culture and leisure sectors, health and social care, manufacturing, and logistics. The pilot will also support people working shifts that start or end in the early hours of the morning.
Phase two of the Bee Network 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.
Other benefits will include a new journey planner added to the Bee Network app along with a live bus tracker; 30 additional TravelSafe Support and Enforcement Officers (TSEOs) patrolling franchised bus services, transport interchanges and bus stations; and 50 new Zero Emission Buses and 84 new Euro 6 Bee Network buses introduced into phase two areas over the coming months.
Passengers using both Metrolink and bus as a part of their journey will also benefit from savings of up to 20% using the AnyBus + Tram ticket. People using the network can also check how it’s performing with new weekly and monthly reports showing performance in phase two areas, as well as the wider network.