Greater Manchester’s new buses will be painted in an ‘iconic’ Mancunian colour scheme, the city-region’s mayor has said.
From next year, bus services will be taken back into public control for the first time in decades. Bolton and Wigan will be the first to see ‘Bee Network’ buses, as it is being branded, before the whole of Greater Manchester is covered by 2024.
Last month, a bid to quash the public ownership of services from existing operators Rotala and Diamond was thrown out by the High Court, paving the way for Bee Network services to start in September 2023. Capped fares will be introduced on services from next month, subject to agreement between public bodies and existing operators .
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Now, as the date for the Bee Network’s grand unveiling edges nearer, Mayor Andy Burnham has revealed what the new fleet might look like.
Speaking from Mayfield Depot, in the shadow of Piccadilly Station, he told the Manchester Evening News : “They're going to be yellow. I know the MEN has got many traditionalists amongst its readers that will say, 'orange and white' [should be the colour] and scream when they read that, but you do have to look forward and you can't always harp back.
"The reason why it’s yellow and black of course is the bee, and the Bee Network, [so it] is more that is more in keeping with the identity of the city, given the bee has featured in Manchester's history for a long, long, long time.”
The Labour politician also said that the buses will match Metrolink trams. He added: “Trams will be the same thing, the buses will be the same thing, this will be iconic Mancunian identity for this century as opposed to harking back to the last [century].
“Margaret Thatcher got rid of the orange buses, she shouldn't have done but she did. Now, Andy Burnham is bringing in yellow and black buses, and they're going to be even more iconic than the orange and white ones.”
It’s understood that the final liveries for the buses have not yet been decided.
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