Bee Network: cheaper bus fares announced for Greater Manchester- full details of prices

Next week will see Bee Network buses run across the whole of the city-region for the first time, with more than 250 routes in Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and parts of Manchester and Salford joining on January 5. As a result, a new fare structure – aimed at being easier to understand and cheaper for all passengers – will be launched in all Greater Manchester’s communities.

Transport for Greater Manchester has said that this has been made possible through the franchising of the bus network. More than half the buses (54%) set to run on routes joining the Bee Network in the south of Greater Manchester will be new vehicles, rising to 66% in April.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Our mission, when we set out to build the Bee Network, was to make getting around Greater Manchester easier, cheaper and more reliable. Doing so will mean we connect people to education, jobs and each other like never before. We’re sticking to that promise.

“We’re cutting the price of travel to get more people on board and putting an end to the complicated and disjointed tickets that people have previously struggled with. Whilst next week will be an important step our journey, we’re not letting up on delivering even more improvements. The rollout of tap in, tap out contactless across bus and tram in March – with clear daily and weekly caps - will be a major moment for in creating the London-style, integrated public transport system we set out to.”

Full list of new bus fares in Greater Manchester

• All single fares on any Bee Network bus will cost just £2 for adults and £1 for children, despite the national cap rising to £3
• Every single fare will also become a ‘hopper’, meaning passengers can use the ticket to ‘hop on’ as many Bee Network buses as they like within one hour of purchase
• Unlimited travel on all Bee Network buses will also become cheaper: 1 day Bee Bus ticket: £5 adult / £2.50 child, 7 day Bee Bus ticket: £20 adult / £10 child (down from £21 and £10.50) and 28 day Bee Bus ticket: £80 adult / £40 child (down from £84.50 and £42.70
• A new Bee Bus Annual ticket will, for the first time, provide unlimited travel on all Bee Network buses for a year for just £2.20 a day. Offering a saving of up to £240, people can buy up front or spread the cost weekly and monthly through participating Credit Unions across Greater Manchester.