Wigan bus passengers can now 'tap and go' to pay for travel on the Bee Network
A contactless “tap and go” payment system has been launched across the Bee Network today.
Passengers can now travel seamlessly between bus and tram and pay for their journey by tapping on when boarding a bus, without the need for a ticket.
It means Greater Manchester has realised its ambition of having an integrated and affordable transport system on par with major cities around the world.
This will be further enhanced with the integration of rail services and stations into the Bee Network by 2028.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said: “We said we would deliver a London-style transport network for the people and businesses of Greater Manchester and that is exactly what we have done.
“We have led the way with franchising and been able to bring buses together with the largest tram network in the country under one system that makes travelling across Greater Manchester easier, more affordable and more convenient than ever before.
“Today is the culmination of years of hard work to deliver a public transport network befitting of Greater Manchester’s place as a world-leading city-region that works for our people, businesses and many millions of visitors.
“With a more joined-up experience, where people can choose to leave their car at home and use public transport, there’s never been a better time to get on board the Bee Network and take advantage of the incredible value it has to offer.”
Tap and go will mean bus passengers no longer need to buy a physical ticket, but those still wanting to pay with cash or purchase a ticket can do so onboard or via the Bee Network app.
Staff and ambassadors will be out in the first week to help passengers with the new system.
Contactless tap and go is now the most popular way for Metrolink customers to pay for their travel, accounting for more than 16.5m journeys last year – a 20% increase on the previous year – with almost two-thirds (64 per cent) of those journeys made using contactless devices, such as phones and watches.
A new annual bus and tram ticket has been launched which provides unlimited travel across the Bee Network for the equivalent of between £2.76 and £4.10 a day.
Travellers can spread the payments weekly or monthly with a Credit Union loan or tickets are available to buy outright from TfGM ticket offices and the Bee Network app.
Plans are also being developed to deliver a major safety boost for the Bee Network.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) will create what would effectively be an “11th district” in the city-region, which will be dedicated to safety and security on the transport network.
It will build on multi-agency collaborations, such as Operation Avro and Operation Vulcan, to tackle anti-social behaviour at transport hot-spots.
It is part of a concerted effort to increase safety and confidence to travel on the Bee Network, particularly for women, girls and vulnerable groups and those travelling at night.
An improved TravelSafe LiveChat will be launched by the end of the year, co-ordinating the response to issues reported by passengers on trams and buses and deploying police and security teams to deal with anti-social behaviour and crime.