Andy Burnham's new £800 Bee Network annual bus pass - cost, how it works and when it's available

The annual pass will cost £800, but passengers will be able to pay for it over the course of the year via credit unions in weekly or monthly instalments. The idea behind this is to provide affordable public transport for people still feeling the effects of the cost of living crisis.  It will come into force on Sunday, January 5, when the rest of Greater Manchester’s buses join the Bee Network.

Regular bus users stand to save around 23% or £240 annually compared to the price of monthly and weekend passes - that’s about £5 per week. The passes will be valid on all buses, including the Night Buses which have just been rolled out in some parts of Greater Manchester. 

Speaking to the press at Eccles Interchange during the launch, the Mayor said: “This is really going to help people who are still struggling with the cost of living. The latest Greater Manchester residents’ survey says that over 50% of residents say they are still struggling with the cost of living, over 50% say it’s affecting their mental health, their wellbeing. So these pressures are still massive on people.

“Myself and the other 10 leaders of Greater Manchester are thinking of ways, how we can reduce the pressures on these people, how can we reduce the cost of the public transport that we control now, so we can do something more to help our residents.”

In order to buy an annual bus pass and pay in instalments, participants will have to join a credit union. There are currently 14 credit unions in Greater Manchester with a combined total of 90,000 members and £290million in assets, Ciara Davies, chief executive of Metro Moneywise and executive lead of the Greater Manchester consortium, explained.

“There will be a credit union in Greater Manchester for anyone who lives and works in Greater Manchester,” she added. “Because we’re a membership organisation, we encourage participation in our co-op. And we do that by encouraging savings. Our members are really encouraged to save with us, and for our credit union that’s as little as a pound a week, or a pound a month, so the bar of entry is really low.

“Credit unions are very community based, we’re people based, we’re in with lots and lots of employers, offering salary deductions. People’s money comes directly from their salary, which people just love the thought of something less to think about, especially when it comes to finances.”