Bus fares across Greater Manchester are to be capped at £2 for adults under new plans to transform public transport in the region.
Following a judicial review last week, where a judge ruled in favour of the region’s buses being brought back under public control, mayor Andy Burnham has today announced a series of major steps to move Greater Manchester towards a London-style public transport system, according to Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA).
During what has been described as “a major event to outline a new era for Greater Manchester”, Mr Burnham has set out a revised timetable for the introduction of bus franchising.
Regulated buses will first introduced in Bolton, Wigan, and parts of Salford and west Manchester from next autumn, before Bury, Rochdale, Oldham, and areas of north Manchester will follow in spring 2024, and then Stockport, Trafford, Tameside, south Manchester, and remaining parts of Salford are expected to run by the end of 2024.
From this date, customers will be able to take advantage of capped fares across the whole region on buses run by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).
As mentioned, these newly-announced plans by the Mayor come after a legal challenge brought by bus operators against the city-region’s bus franchising plans was dismissed last week, and are said to signify “a key next step towards the delivery of the Bee Network vision”.
Some good news to start the week.
From next year, as we take control of our buses, we will:
▪️cap adult fares at £2 ▪️cap child fares at £1
The era of people paying £4 or more for a single journey is coming to an end.
The new £2 capped ticket will function as a ‘hopper’ fare.
This means that the same ticket can be used for any change of bus within 60 minutes of the ticket being bought, regardless of how many times a person changes buses within that hour.
This move clears the way for a new franchising model taking control over buses away from profit-focused operators and placing it instead in public hands – which makes the region the first outside London to have this power in more than 30 years.
The franchise model is estimated to cost around £135 million and means fares, timetables and routes will be set by local authorities instead of private companies, but operators may continue running services under a franchise system.
Speaking on the new bus fare caps ahead of the official unveiling of the plans later today, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “The court ruling means we now have the green light to deliver on our plans to deliver a London-style public transport system [and] make travelling by public transport more appealing, easier, and significantly, put our people before profits.
“The government has signalled its intention to support our ambitions many times over and we now need them to work in partnership with us to help us turn our shared vision into a reality.”
Greater Manchester will have a new Transport Commissioner to take a leading role in the delivery of the Bee Network, with former Transport for London (TfL) Managing Director of Customers, Communication and Technology, Vernon Everitt, having been appointed.
🗣️ "We will make travelling by public transport more appealing, easier and, significantly, put our people before profits."
🚍 Today Andy will set out the major steps we're taking to deliver a London-style public system for Greater Manchester.#NewEraGMhttps://t.co/89NaDuZGmX
— Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham (@MayorofGM) March 14, 2022
“I’m delighted to welcome Vernon onboard, as we deliver a new era of London-style transport for Greater Manchester,” Mr Burnham added.
“He is a great signing for this city-region [as he] spent 14 years as a Managing Director at Transport for London, leading on London’s integration of public transport through simple and intuitive fares, ticketing and customer information.
“In Greater Manchester we are leading the way and developing a blueprint for other city-regions to follow when it comes to improving intra-city transport and connectivity between our villages, towns and cities.
“My ambition is that soon here in Greater Manchester it will be simpler, cheaper, and more reliable to get around on public transport.”
Council publishes list of central Manchester roads set to be resurfaced this summer
Emily Sergeant
A list of roads in Manchester that are set to be resurfaced before the summer is out has been published.
Manchester City Council recently asked residents in the region what their priorities were for their community and what issues they wanted to see tackled – and for many, the answer was the quality of the road surfaces.
Since then, the Council says it has been ‘engaged’ in a long-running programme of improvement works throughout the borough.
Now, with just over a month of the summer season left, it has been confirmed that some vital resurfacing works are due to start over the coming weeks in north and central Manchester, bringing a range of improvements to key district roads along with it.
First up, from Saturday 9 August, Hollinwood Avenue is to be resurfaced.
The Council has published a list of Manchester roads that are set to be resurfaced this summer / Credit: MJ Richardson (via Geograph)
Anticipated to take six weeks to complete, this work will be carried out during weekend closures from 8am-5pm, with the road remaining open during the working week.
The closure area will be between Greengates Roundabout and the Oldham boundary at Owler Lane, and a signed diversion route will be in place while work is carried out, and access for residents will be maintained at all times.
Then, starting from Saturday 16 August, resurfacing works will begin on Moss Lane East, between Alexandra Road and Princess Road.
Work will take place between 7am and 5pm on weekdays, and 8am and 5pm on weekends, and during the works, the road will be completely closed – with a signed diversion route in place and access for residents maintained.
As always, disruption is expected and the public is encouraged to plan ahead / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)
These works are expected to take six weeks to complete, and as with all resurfacing projects, residents should expect some disruption and may need to plan ahead.
The Council is aiming to keep disruption to the public at a minimum, where possible.
“We know how important it is to our residents that key roads are well maintained, which is why were glad to be able to deliver this latest round of improvement works,” commented Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport at Manchester City Council.
“I’d like to thank people ahead of time for their patience during the course of these works and would advise them to check when closures will be in place and where the diversions are.”
You can find more information on the resurfacing works on the Council website here.
Manchester Storm ban supporter and condemn discriminatory behaviour after online comments
Danny Jones
Ice hockey side Manchester Storm have come out to vocally condemn any and all forms of discrimination following recent concerns raised online and, more importantly, putting words into action after issuing a stadium ban to a match-going fan.
Writing a lengthy, passionate and defiant post on Wednesday, 6 August, Manchester Storm informed supporters that they had been made aware of multiple “derogatory and discriminatory comments” earlier this week.
The remarks in question were made across various social media platforms, as well as fan forums over the past few days, but thankfully were quickly identified and removed by admins.
Nevertheless, Storm recognised the importance of cracking down on this kind of behaviour as swiftly and firmly as possible, penning this pitch-perfect reply in terms of tone and practical action.
The official statement reads: “These comments are deeply concerning and go against everything our club stands for. Let us be absolutely clear: racism, homophobia, and any form of discriminatory or hateful behaviour will not be tolerated – online or at the [Planet Ice] Arena.
“We are proud to be a diverse and inclusive club that welcomes players, staff, and fans from all backgrounds. Anyone found engaging in racist, homophobic, or otherwise abusive behaviour will be banned and will not be permitted entry to The [Storm] Shelter.”
Storm also went on to detail that the individual in question regarding multiple related incidents has not only been issued with a ban, but that their season ticket has been revoked and will be denied all entry to their home ground in Altrincham.
They also assured that the matter has been reported to Greater Manchester Police, adding that the club “will continue to cooperate fully with their investigations” and”will not hesitate to pursue further legal action where necessary.
Proud to see such quick and decisive action from the local sporting organisation, which should help serve as a real deterrent for similar potential trouble in the future.
The response from the right-minded fans in the comments was great to see as well.
Regardless of the offensive remarks made on the forum, most Manchester Storm supporters welcome the statement fan ban. (Credit: IG)
One user on X wrote: “The storm is for everyone; we don’t need these people anywhere near the Storm Shelter. Thank you for acting so quickly.” Another on Instagram added, “Absolutely, hockey is for everyone, correct and firm stance/action. Well done, from a Belfast Giants fan.”
The club signed off by saying: “Manchester Storm remains committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all. Hate has no place in hockey – or anywhere else.
“We thank our community for standing with us in upholding these values.
Emily Sergeant -
14th March 2022 
