Plans to bring buses in Greater Manchester back under public control are progressing as leaders agree to buy new electric buses and bus depots. The Bee Network - the name given to the new London-style integrated public transport system - is set to be rolled out across the region by the end of 2024.
Fares are set to be slashed to £2 for a single journey from September using government-funded subsidies – but bus firms are yet to sign up to the deal. Leaders have also agreed to buy 50 zero emission buses for Wigan and Bolton where the first publicly controlled buses will operate from in September 2023.
And around 170 diesel buses on routes to and from Stockport town centre will be replaced by zero emission equivalents by spring 2024 at a cost of £85.4m. It comes days after the Court of Appeal dismissed a legal challenge by Diamond Bus owner Rotala over the introduction of a franchising system.
