Andy Burnham is urging Greater Manchester residents to ‘switch to the Bee Network’ in 2025.
With the new year now here, the Greater Manchester Mayor has reflected back on the past 12 months, and has set some goals and intentions for 2025 – which he expects to be a “busy” year full of change and historic milestones for the region.
2025 is, of course, set to start off strong, beginning with the introduction of Bee Network buses to the southern part of Greater Manchester from 5 January.
“Four decades of deregulation will be over,” Mr Burnham declared. “We will finally be back in charge of our entire bus network.”
One week today, GM will make the biggest change yet to our buses – completing re-regulation on time and on budget.
This flurry of delivery should set the tone for the rest of 2025.
The Mayor says that completing this first phase “on time and on budget” is a “huge achievement” for the region, and he hopes this means that 2025 can “begin on a much-needed optimistic note” – adding that in an era where it has felt like “most things are broken or going backwards”, Greater Manchester transport has “bucked the trend”.
He called the Bee Network “the most visible piece of successful public service delivery in recent times”, and said its popularity “proves things can indeed be fixed, moved forward, and made to work better.”
While he conceded that there is likely to be “a bumpy few days” next week until things settle down, Mr Burnham insists he is “confident” that passengers using Bee Network services in the southern half of the region “will soon see a difference”.
This is why he is urging everyone to make full use of it and “leave the car at home”.
Andy Burnham urges Greater Manchester residents to ‘switch to the Bee Network’ in 2025 / Credit: TfGM
Addressing Greater Manchester residents directly as the new year begins, Andy Burnham said: “I hope to ask you to make a New Year’s resolution – switch to the Bee Network in 2025 and to leave the car at home.
“The more that people do this, the longer we will be able to keep our £2 cap in place, hold fares as low as possible, and make the whole transport system flow better for everyone.
“For many years now, Greater Manchester has been growing faster than the UK economy, and our skyline tells the story of that change. But, as with any global city of our stature, congestion is a constant challenge and public transport has to become the priority way of getting around.”
Looking ahead to the highly-anticipated introduction of the London-style transport system in March, Mr Burnham continued: “If people are to buy into [using the Bee Network over a car], I know we have to work even harder to make it feel safer, more reliable and convenient to use. So, on 23 March, Greater Manchester will bring in a London-style tap-in, tap-out payment system, across trams and buses, with a daily cap on what people can spend.
“I hope this flurry of delivery sets a good tone for the rest of 2025.”
Mr Burnham says Greater Manchester is going into the new year “with a spring in our step and a can-do spirit” that he hopes becomes “infectious” to the rest of the UK.
“If the local control achieved with our buses starts to bring similar benefits to housing and skills, then perhaps the country can draw a line under these dysfunctional recent times and start to look to the future with more confidence and optimism,” he concluded.
Featured Image – TfGM
Travel & Tourism
A FREE week-long event dedicated to Japan is coming to Manchester
Thomas Melia
An event dedicated to the East Asian country of Japan is making its way to Manchester city centre this month.
Simply titled ‘Japan Week’, this cultural ceremony aims to package up all the things this East Asian country has to offer, such as music and theatre, compiling them into a fantastic five-day showcase.
Taking place this weekend and based over in the ever-flourishing First Street complex – which will serve as the main hub – the festival is open to all.
We love anything that shows off just how multicultural this city is.
On Friday, 5 September, from 3-5pm, you can watch the Japan Week opening ceremony, which is taking place on an outdoor stage at First Street with the running order including dance acts and even ceremonial-style samurai performances.
With so many artistic events and cultural dates taking place in the growing mini-district that is First St (including Jack Rosenthal Street and Tony Wilson Place), it’s the perfect site for this month’s showcase.
This opening procedure is actually called ‘Kagami Biraki’, and if you attend on the day, you’ll be able to see the traditional opening of the sake barrel, which symbolises unlocking good fortune and the spirit of celebration.
Japan Week is coming to First Street in the city centre from Thursday, 4 September to Tuesday, 9 September, and, perhaps best of all, there are absolutely no tickets required.
More events on the Japan Week 2025 programme will also be taking place at other venues too.
Yes, as the goal of the festivities is to spread awareness and celebrate Japanese heritage and its connection to Manchester, the event is completely FREE – as it should be.
Nike and go-to online running shoe suppliers confirmed as new sponsors for Altrincham 10k
Danny Jones
The annual Altrincham 10k just got a whole lot bigger and better ahead of this year’s run, as the annual race has just notched Nike as one of their new lead sponsors – and that’s not all.
Alty’s annual race is also being backed by SportsShoes.com, a.k.a. the go-to trainers supplier for so many runners, who will be presenting the 2025 edition in partnership with RunThroughUK.
Now part of RunThrough North‘s regular programme, Altrincham 10k continues to grow in size with each passing year, as demonstrated by getting such prestigious sponsors on board.
Taking place this weekend, the 2025 Alty 10k could just be the biggest yet.
We are thrilled to announce that we are teaming up with @Nike & @sportsshoes_com to bring the town an unforgettable race day 🤝
📅 Sunday 7th September 🏃 3,500 runners 👟 Closed roads ⚡️ Electric atmosphere
Set to welcome approximately 3,500 runners to the Trafford market town’s central streets, the Altrincham 10k is one of the final large-scale running events on the local calendar.
Aligning both famous brands with the heart of Altrincham’s running community and, indeed, giving Greater Manchester’s wider sports culture, it’s yet more prestige for 0161.
The 2025 race will also see Nike showcase its latest road running line-up, including the newest max cushioning shoe: the ‘Vomero Plus’; the responsive ‘Pegasus’ everyday trainer, as well as supportive ‘Structure’ model, meaning runners will get a chance to sample their latest styles.
As well as support from SportsShoes.com and official Nike ambassadors, North West native and GB triathlete Katie Halligan, Hits Radio presenter and ultra runner Hattie Pearson, as well as local Manc artist Emma Evans will all be there too.
These equally inspiring women have also been chosen to help represent Nike and RunThrough’s shared mission of attracting more female runners, as shown with events such asthe recent 2025 Women’s Run Series back in April.
Co-Founder of RunThrough, Matt Wood, said of the new partnership: “Welcoming Nike as title sponsor of the Altrincham 10K, alongside our long-standing partner SportsShoes.com, is a huge milestone for the event.
“This partnership highlights the growth of our community and the strength of our brand. We can’t wait to support the thousands of runners taking part in the Nike Altrincham 10K, Presented by SportsShoes.com.”
As for SportShoes, brand manager Gavin Bannister added: “The energy around this year’s 10K will be electric, and we can’t wait to see everyone out there chasing their goals and celebrating the power of running.
“From our own athletes to first-time runners, this event is all about showing up, pushing limits, and being part of something truly special, and that is what Nike and Sportsshoes.com are all about.”
Entries are still open for any of those interested in a last-minute place in the race on Sunday, 7 September – you can sign up HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
2nd January 2025 
