Andy Burnham admits some bus tickets will cost more under Bee Network as he reveals compensation scheme

The Mayor is ‘aware’ that there will be instances where new Bee Network buses will cost more than the existing services.

Andy Burnham made the comments following an event where he announced the next phase of buses being incorporated into the Bee Network on Monday. As expected, buses in Oldham, Rochdale, parts of Bury, Salford, and north Manchester join the fleet on Sunday, March 24.

But the roll-out means some passengers will pay more for a weekly ticket than they currently shell out. Blackley’s David Hopes is one of those, as he commutes to work in Leeds daily.

Usually, he catches the 17 or 18 service along Rochdale Road, gets off at Shudehill, and walks to Victoria Station to catch a train to the Yorkshire city. Until March 24, he can take advantage of Go North West’s Rochdale Road 7-Day ticket, which costs £14.50 online, and a pound more from a driver.

However, when his service comes under public control, the cheapest weekly ticket will be £21, with it actually more cost-effective to get 10 singles to commute. That means David’s commute will cost at least 38 percent more in a few weeks, for what’s expected to be the same service.

It’s prompted Mr Burnham to clarify ‘there will be an opportunity to get financial compensation’ for passengers in David’s position. 

“We are aware that there are those situations where the cap and the structure of Bee Network fares may be higher than what it’s replacing,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. “I think there are some student fares on Oxford Road that are in a similar place.

“To that gentleman, I would say contact TfGM because we will be running a reimbursement scheme for people who are financially disadvantaged by the change. There will be an opportunity to get financial compensation.”

When asked for more information on the compensation scheme, he added: “There is a scheme people can use to apply.  People in that position can make an application to TfGM, and we will look at it sympathetically. Our intention is not to leave anyone out of pocket, we are trying to save people money with the Bee Network.”

A Transport for Greater Manchester spokesperson added: “Better integrated and simpler ticketing is a key benefit of the Bee Network, and the introduction of capped fares in September 2022, has reduced the average cost of travel for bus users by almost 20%.

“Through these fares and the AnyBus + tram and new Bee Bus Family ticket, we are working to bring down the cost of travel for the vast majority of people, while also providing ticketing options that cover multiple operators for services across Greater Manchester. By bringing buses back under public control it has also enabled us to freeze the price of capped bus fares until 2024, in contrast to the de-regulated system where bus operators can increase fares at any time.

“However, as we launch the second wave of Bee Network bus services, we are aware that for some customers there may be a price difference between the single operator ticket people can currently buy, and Bee Network Anybus tickets. As with the first tranche of bus franchising, a recompense scheme will be available to support those customers affected. These plans are being finalised and we will ensure that details of the recompense approach are communicated out to customers in advance.”