New ticketing system to make travel across Greater Manchester cheaper
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has announced a range of new tickets that will make travel across the whole city region cheaper and easier.
It comes with the start of the transformational Bee Network just three months away.
The new Bee AnyBus + Tram tickets – delivered by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) with support from Greater Manchester TravelCards Ltd (GMTL) – will make combined bus and tram travel around 20% cheaper compared with buying products separately and will launch on September 24, when the city region becomes the first area to begin to bring buses under local control for the first time in almost 40 years.
Bought through the new Bee Network app and other retail channels, it means unlimited journeys on any bus service and any chosen Metrolink zone for as little as £5.40. Unlimited travel on all buses and the entire Metrolink network – the largest tram system in the UK – will cost £7.80 if travelling off-peak, or £9.50 at peak times. In comparison, the average cost of just parking a car in Manchester city centre is £7 for two hours and £10.27 for three hours.
The move follows the introduction of daily capped bus fares last September, brought in a year earlier than planned to help with the cost of living, that are now being extended for at least another year, until September 2024. The fares – capped at £2 for single journeys (£1 for children) and £5 for an AnyBus all day travelcard (£2.50 for children) – have proved hugely popular with customers and have contributed to an estimated 12% increase in bus trips.
The move to a simplified, integrated and cheaper fare structure is a key part of the Bee Network – Greater Manchester’s plan for a ‘London-style’, high volume, low fare, transport system, which will transform the way people travel across the city region.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “We know that lower fares make a real difference to people – particularly in today’s challenging times – so I am delighted to be able to announce that not only are we extending the capped bus fares for at least another year, we are cutting the cost of travel even more with our new Bee AnyBus + tram tickets, making multi-modal journeys 20% cheaper from September than they are today.
“We are working to deliver a network for our millions of residents and visitors that is every bit as good as the one Londoners have – one that has frequent, reliable services and low fares – and it starts by bringing buses back under local control in three months’ time.”
He added: “With the potential to travel across the whole of Greater Manchester by bus for just £5 – or as little as £7.80 with the entire tram network included, too, the lower fares represent great value for money, particularly compared to the cost of travelling by car.
“Cutting the cost of public transport benefits everyone and I want it to be a lasting and defining part of the Bee Network. That can only happen if more people use it, so my plea today is for everyone to get on board with us and help keep fares low. You’ll be better off with the Bee Network.
“I would also like to put on record my thanks to Rail Minister Huw Merriman for his commitment to working with us to pilot a new way to pay on rail that will ultimately enable us to integrate certain key rail services in Greater Manchester into the Bee Network.”
To help support the ambition for full integration of local train services into the Bee Network by the end of the decade, the mayor also confirmed the proposed route for the contactless pilot on rail in Greater Manchester, subject to final business case approval and funding.
First announced as part of the city region’s trailblazer devolution deal, TfGM has been working closely with Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT) and the Department for Transport (DfT) to develop the pilot on services between Stalybridge and Victoria, and Glossop and Piccadilly.
The pilot will allow passengers to touch-in and out at the start and end of their journey and, like Metrolink, have their fare automatically worked out for them. This will, for the first time, allow passengers to travel without buying a ticket in advance and provide a faster and more convenient way to travel.
TfGM, DfT and GBRTT will then work together to use the pilot to support the wider ambition of full multi-modal integration into the Bee Network across bus, Metrolink, rail and cycle hire, including fares simplification and capping, by 2030.
