New bus system is seeing improvements ‘day by day’
THEY are hard to miss. A striking yellow standing out against the grey autumnal Greater Manchester skies; a bold colour marking the start of a bold new transport vision.
Bee Network buses have been buzzing around our roads for more than a month now – the first stage in the drive for a much-needed Londonstyle public transport network here, joining up bus travel with Metrolink trams, trains, cycleways and walkways.
A new era began in September. Under the franchised system, for the first time in almost 40 years, private operators now have no say over routes, fares, frequencies, timetables and overall standards, giving power back to the paying public.
Greater Manchester became the first area in the country to take back control of its bus services since deregulation in 1986. The move – literally overnight in Bolton, Wigan and parts of Salford and Bury – saw new ticket machines and software installed on hundreds of buses, as well as the transfer of around 1,000 bus drivers.
The first few days, admitted transport bosses, brought ‘operational challenges’ Mayor Andy Burnham described as ‘teething problems’, with reports of cancelled services due to a lack of drivers and delays.
Go North West, one of the largest operators involved, is now said to be undertaking one of its biggest ever driver recruitment campaigns, with additional agency drivers also being brought in on temporary contracts. But the newly franchised system is now said to be showing improvements in services ‘day-by-day’, with buses operating at a level ‘at least the same or better than de-regulated services’.
The number of people using buses has grown steadily since the launch on September 24, now said to be up eight per cent each weekday. And crucially, money generated from fares is said to be above the figure previously forecasted by between 10 and 15 per cent – the additional money will be reinvested back into the local transport system and support more buses and more improvements to services.
Bus punctuality, said Transport for Greater Manchester, has risen in recent weeks from 70.7 per cent to 74.4 per cent, slightly below a set target.
Following complaints that the 575 service between Bolton and Wigan was being hit by road works, a dedicated new bus lane has been provided to maintain flow. TFGM said it has also increased capacity on the 472 and 474 services in Ramsbottom.
As Transport bosses and Mr Burnham gave an update on the current picture, the Manchester
Evening News went to Bolton Bus Station to ask passengers to share their Bee Network experiences.
Andrew Smith, 60, lives in Bolton but travels to work nights in Salford. He catches a bus both in the evenings and to return home from shifts in the morning rush-hour.
After stepping off the number 37 at Bolton Bus Station, Mr Smith said: “I use the bus quite a lot – the number eight and the 37. They are getting a bit better now than they first were. The first couple of weeks, they were awful – they did not turn up some of the time – but it is a bit more reliable now.
“The drivers seem OK and the buses are OK – clean and comfy. But somebody did tell me they are struggling for drivers and that’s what the problem has been, not enough drivers and drivers without the experienced knowledge of routes. But it does seem to be getting better.”
New mum Sofie Jones, 32, from Bury, caught the bus to Bolton from her home in Ainsworth for an appointment volunteering. It was the first time she has used a Bee Network bus – and the first time she has taken her son, just a month old, out on a bus.
Sofie, who caught the 511, was full of praise for her driver. “I parked the pram in the disabled area,” she said. “It was the first time we have been on a bus together as a mother and son.
“The driver stopped the bus at the next stop to tell me how to reposition the pram, which I thought was really nice and good. We went on to drive along
a really narrow road and there was an angry driver, and the bus driver was telling him to calm down, which was also good.
“Overall it was a good experience. Very clean and very nice. I have no complaints. I would take the bus again as it was no real hardship. It was on time and good.”
Douglas Wallis, 42, lives in Bolton and said he regularly travels by bus into the town centre to visit family, catching the 501. “I know that there has been a shortage of drivers, and in turn cancelled services, because the app has said that,” he said.
“At first it all seemed a bit haphazard and buses
were arriving at different times and there was no consistency. Buses would seem to follow other buses, or there would be big gaps in services, but I have seen a slight improvement recently. The buses themselves are great and I hope it is a success, really.”
Dave Bailey, 76, lives in Westhoughton, Bolton, and uses a walking stick, regularly catching the number seven into Bolton and the 521 to Blackrod. He praised the colour of the new buses. “I like the colour yellow,” he said. “It makes you feel happy and that’s good. They are reliable and clean and the drivers are OK. I am a regular bus user and have been getting from A to B no problem.
“The look of the buses looks better, I must admit. It sounds a bit daft but it’s true. I’ve never had any issues. They seem to be reliable and that’s all you can ask for, really.
“They rise and fall when they stop so for someone like me, it’s fine. I have never had a problem with buses as someone with a disability. The drivers will always give you a few more minutes.”
Laura Pendlebury’s husband took the car for the day – leaving her a choice between a taxi and a bus to get to work in Bolton. She said she chose the bus over a taxi, for the first time in a long time.
The 42-year-old said: “I caught the bus from Heaton, Doffcocker way. It was the first time I have used a bus for ages.
“I was going to get an Uber because my husband has got the car. I work in a charity shop on Blackhorse Street and it was £8 one way in an Uber – the best part of £15 to get there and back home again, although Uber put their rates up later in the day.
“I downloaded the app because I have seen the Bee Network going past. There was an option to get an any bus day pass for £5. I could literally now go anywhere all day, which seems to me to be a good deal.
“It’s pretty good because now I can go home on the bus and it has cost me £2.50 each way. They scan the code when you get on and it’s all very easy. I found the app really easy, you had to create an account then authorise your card and then you can buy a ticket. Once you’ve registered, that’s it.
“I think I will get the bus again because of it. It was fine.”
A rare bus user, Jenny Priestley, 41, from Salford, said she was impressed after catching one of the 50 new electric buses home from Manchester on a Sunday night. She said: “It was very clean and very well lit, those were the things that I noticed, together with the voice announcements indicating the stops. There were mobile phone chargers in the seats, which is great, and, even though it was quite late at night, I felt safe.”
However, Joanne Smullen, who catches the Bury circular to work every day, told reporter Amy Walker she had been left at the ‘end of her tether.’
“I’m late for work every morning, I’m not talking five or ten minutes. It’s half an hour, 40 minutes, sometimes an hour,” she said.
“People are being late for work, children are late to school and getting in trouble. When it was Diamond Buses, there would always be double decker buses, but there are none in the morning with Bee Network.
“They were busy before, but now they just go past because they are too busy. I can’t even get on the bus, it just drives past with everyone stood up – what are we supposed to do?”
Transport for Greater Manchester said that they are aware of the feedback on the Bury circular, in particular the service which departs the interchange at 7.15am. Go North West has confirmed it is looking to prioritise the use of double-deck buses where it can.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said the scale of change cannot be underestimated – and thanked customers for commenting and raising feedback via the app, which is also set to change with improvements brought in.
“There are already so many benefits to franchising,” he said. “We brought in the £2 cap; we have earlier, later and more frequent bus services; the quality of our buses has improved; they are now integrated through multimodal, cheaper ticketing with our Metrolink tram system; and passengers have a voice that will be listened to.
“We didn’t expect everything to be perfect, but everyone involved has rolled up their sleeves and has been working hard to make things better. Pleasingly, we have already seen an increase in passenger numbers on franchised services too. I’m pleased to say we are seeing improvements dayby-day; performance and reliability is up with busway services operating at a higher level year on year, and I’m confident this will soon be mirrored across other services.
“This is just the start, and there is much more to come and much to be excited about. I have no doubt the Bee Network will be transformational for everyone living, working and visiting Greater Manchester.”
Greater Manchester is now in control of 188 bus routes, around 20 per cent of the overall network.
The next phase of franchising will see buses in Oldham, Rochdale, and parts of Bury, Salford and north Manchester come under local control next March, with the remainder of Greater Manchester bus services joining the Bee Network in January, 2025.