New Bee Network Committee holds first meeting

A new committee that will shape the delivery of Greater Manchester’s emerging fully integrated, London-style transport system has held its first meeting.

The Bee Network, which gets off the ground from September, will bring together buses, trams, rail and active travel to transform how people travel in the city region.

The first Bee Network buses will enter service in Wigan, Bolton and parts of Salford and Bury from September when buses are brought under local control for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Services in Bury, Rochdale and Oldham and parts of Manchester, Salford and Tameside will come under local control from 24 March 2024.

Services across the rest of Greater Manchester come under local control in January 2025.

A new, smaller, and more strategically focused ‘Bee Network Committee’ has been formed, replacing the former Greater Manchester Transport Committee.

The Bee Network Committee will lead transport decision-making at a regional level, taking greater ownership and responsibility for the transport network.

It is made up of 16 members, including chair Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, and vice chair Eamonn O’Brien, leader of Bury Council and portfolio holder for technical education & skills and clean air for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

There is also one councillor from each of the 10 Greater Manchester local authorities and four additional councillors appointed by the Mayor for political balance; Rochdale’s representatives are councillors Phil Burke and Jim Gartside.

Eamonn Boylan, chief executive of Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), said the new arrangements would help local politicians hold the system to account.

He said: “A key part of these new governance arrangements will be an increased number of opportunities for local councillors – and the communities they represent – to influence transport policy and services in their area and better hold TfGM and other agencies to account for the operational performance of the network – for example, around safety and personal security.”

These will include opportunities for local members to inform reviews of the transport network, including regular reviews of the franchised bus network, through direct engagement and consultation. 

The committee will have an important role in advising and supporting the constituent councils, on specific transport issues and will work to support the shared ownership of the transport agenda across the city region ensuring that it is informed by local priorities and driven by consensus.

The committee met on Thursday 27 July, where items on the agenda included the Greater Manchester Bus Strategy, Bee Network fares and products, and an extension to the Metrolink contract.