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 can 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 all buses in Greater Manchester now back under local control, there just one month to go until the introduction of capped contactless payments on Bee Network buses to support multi-modal travel. The date the new payment system starts is March 23, 2025.
Launching on the same day, a new annual bus and tram ticket will unlock unlimited travel across both modes for the equivalent of between £2.76 and £4.10 a day. Customers will also be able to spread the payments weekly or monthly – at no extra cost – with the support of a Credit Union loan.
Tickets are also available to buy outright from TfGM ticket offices or via the Bee Network app. This will sit alongside the annual tickets for buses and trams, as well as the £2 ‘hopper’ fare allowing travel across multiple bus within an hour, and 7-day or 28-day travelcards.
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.
For people making journeys on bus and tram, fares start from £6 (£5.40 off peak) a day or £24.80 for a week, depending on the number of zones you travel through. For bus-only journeys that is £2 for a single hopper journey, £5 for the day or £20 over a week no matter how many buses you take. 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: “We said we would deliver a London-style transport network for the people and businesses of Greater Manchester and that is exactly what we have done. We have led the way with franchising and been able to bring buses together with the largest tram network in the country under one system that makes travelling across Greater Manchester easier, more affordable and more convenient than ever before.
“Today is the culmination of years of hard work to deliver a public transport network befitting of Greater Manchester’s place as a world-leading city-region that works for our people, businesses and many millions of visitors. With a more joined-up experience, where people can choose to leave their car at home and use public transport, there’s never been a better time to get on board the Bee Network and take advantage of the incredible value it has to offer.”