How bus franchising and £2 fare cap policy played out in Greater Manchester

Andy Burnham let out a grin when asked if Greater Manchester was on the cusp of a transport revolution in summer 2024.

He’d just announced major changes to the Bee Network at a press conference in Manchester city centre, which included introducing tap-and-go contactless payments, and plans to ‘go underground’ by 2050.

The big promise at the time was about yellow buses though, with confirmation that the Bee Network, which was being rolled out in phases, would be in every Greater Manchester borough by January 2025.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service put it to the then Greater Manchester mayor that he may soon deliver a transport revolution.

“We’re not on the cusp of a transport revolution, we’re already in it, it’s happening,” Mr Burnham said firmly in response.

“The yellow bus revolution is there, not for everyone in Greater Manchester to see yet, but it’s getting close and we’re confirming today that it will come to everywhere on January 5 – everybody will be part of the revolution at that point.”

Fast forward two years and Andy Burnham is Prime Minister and today (July 22) announced that one of the most successful features of the Bee Network – a £2 cap on single fares – will be rolled out nationally, backed by £454m of funding.

“Good, affordable transport links are an essential,” the PM said announcing the pledge.

“No one should be priced out of those and left behind. But for too long people have said that cheaper transport isn’t an option. I don’t accept that.

“I’ve done it before and I will do it again now: a £2 cap on bus fares for millions across the country.”

The £2 cap on single journeys and £5 daily tickets (or £2.50 for kids) were introduced in Greater Manchester in September 2022, a year before bus franchising started being rolled out in 2023.

Data shows that bringing buses under local control and lowering costs for passengers has been a huge success.

According to figures from Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the number of people using buses in the region has increased by 24 per cent since 2023.

Total passenger numbers went up from 143.2 million in the year ending March 2023 to 178 million in the year ending March 2026.

Happiness with public transport among the public is also growing.

In March 2026, an annual survey by Transport Focus found there had been a ‘huge increase in overall passenger satisfaction across Greater Manchester’ in the first full year of the whole bus network being under public control.

Happiness with value for money went up to 79pc in the region according to the survey, bucking the national trend – the average across England (where the fare cap increased to £3) went down to 63pc on average.

“While there is still much to do, to record the largest increase in bus customer satisfaction anywhere in the country in our first full year of local control is a fantastic achievement and one of the clearest indications yet that people are really feeling the benefit of the Bee Network,” Andy Burnham said in March when still serving as mayor.

More passengers using the Bee Network has led to more money being pumped into the system, and has made the case for expanding public transport in the region.

It has helped bring in a regular flow of benefits for passengers, such as the introduction of hopper fares in 2025 allowing single tickets to be used on other Bee Network buses within 60 minutes from being bought.

The Bee Network has also brought in new 24-hour night bus services, and has plans to expand the Metrolink tram network as well as incorporating 64 Greater Manchester train stations to join the Bee Network by 2028.

The network has faced criticism too though.

Passengers using some routes say they’ve not felt major changes since the buses were painted yellow.

A recent trip on the Number 50 bus found that several passengers were frustrated with the reliability of the service, with one woman saying she had taken to driving more.

But overall, the Bee Network and its £2 cap on single fares has changed public transport for the better in Greater Manchester.