Greater Manchester gets keys to first yellow Bee Network buses

The keys to Greater Manchester's first yellow Bee Network buses have been handed over - marking a milestone in a coming public transport revolution.

The first publicly-controlled buses will be rolled out in Bolton, Wigan and parts of Bury and Salford from September, with the whole network to be franchised by 2025. It means that fares, routes and standards will be controlled by local leaders rather than bus companies who will have to bid for contracts to run services.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, was in Larbert, Scotland, today to take receipt of the first five buses built by Alexander Dennis, one of the world’s leading global bus manufacturers.

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Assembled over several months, each of the electric buses is just over 10 metres long and are powered from 382kWh batteries, meaning they have no tailpipe emissions.

During the visit, the mayor also met several young apprentices studying towards electrical engineering qualifications.

The five buses will be among 50 new electric double-deckers set to enter service in Wigan, Bolton and parts of Salford and Bury when buses are brought under local control for the first time in nearly 40 years from this September.

They will be fully inclusive, with two wheelchair bays, hearing induction loops, audio and visual announcement systems and anti-slip flooring.

A further 50 will be delivered in March next year, to support the ongoing roll-out of bus franchising, with services in Bury, Rochdale and Oldham and parts of Manchester, Salford and Tameside coming under local control from March 24, 2024.

Buses across the rest of Greater Manchester are due to come under local control in January 2025.

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