A new Bee Network service is set to come to Wigan

The Bee Network is already playing a vital role in supporting an £80 billion economy which is growing faster than anywhere else in the UK, with public transport in the region thriving amid as challenging time for the bus industry.

The new Greater Manchester Strategy (GMS) pledges to continue to develop the Bee Network as a transport system for a global city region, so that by 2030, 90 per cent of the population live within 400m – a five-minute walk or wheeling distance – of a bus or tram that comes at least every 30 minutes.

This 400m target exceeds the Public Transport Accessibility Level, which measures how well an area is served by public transport, used in many areas across the UK including London, which aims for a proximity of 640m.

Having already delivered improvements to more than 75 services, alongside better connected and more reliable, greener and affordable buses, the Bee Network has seen a 14 per cent year-on-year increase in passenger numbers, and a 7.8 per cent rise in operated bus mileage in the first franchised areas.

The latest enhancements, due to start later this year, include new night buses connecting Bury and Rochdale with Manchester, the second all new Bee Network bus service running between Wigan and Standish, and improved frequency across key routes in Bolton and Wigan – the first area to come under local control.

A new daytime and evening service between Wigan and Standish will launch on July 20, becoming the second new Bee Network service – after the 615 Wigan-Middlebrook Retail Park service – to be introduced since bus franchising was introduced in September 2023.

Running between Wigan Bus Station and Standish Leisure Centre, the 631 will serve key locations, including Wigan Infirmary, Woodfield Primary School and local supermarket.

The route runs partially along the existing 632 route and will also serve the Rectory Woods and James Square housing developments in Standish. Additionally, the 632 route is expected to have earlier first services.

Six services running between Bolton, Leigh and Manchester will see their service frequency increased in a move designed to grow patronage on key routes into the city centre.

The V1 and 36 night buses, which were introduced as a pilot in September 2024, will be extended at least until the end of the 2025/26 financial year.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “We have been on an incredible journey since the launch of bus franchising, with the Bee Network playing a vital role in making Greater Manchester the growth success story in the UK by providing a cleaner, greener and more affordable way to get around the region.

“Public transport is one of seven key areas underpinning our future vision for Greater Manchester, and over the next decade we will continue to invest in the Bee Network and transform how people get around our city-region.

“This starts by adding more night buses, higher frequency services and new routes, helping connect people to jobs, education and other opportunities across a growing and thriving Greater Manchester, so that everyone can live a good life.”

Vernon Everitt, Transport Commissioner for Greater Manchester, said: “As the first area to bring buses back under local control we are taking bold steps to reverse decades of decline where, under the old deregulated system, too many routes and services were cut and communities left without access to public transport.

“The Bee Network works for, and is accountable to, everyone in Greater Manchester, and we are constantly using the feedback we are getting to make improvements.

“These latest proposals for later, more frequent and better-connected buses is further evidence of how we continuing to grow the network, but we know there is still more work to do.

“That is why we will focus on delivering the pledges set out in the Greater Manchester Strategy to ensure 90 per cent of people are living within 400m – around a five minute walk – of a public transport service, connecting them to jobs, education and other opportunities.”