Bus passengers could be travelling across Greater Manchester for no more than £2 a journey or £5 for an entire day’s travel by the end of the summer. The new capped fares are part of a plan to fast-track major reform, offset the cost of living and entice people back to public transport.
The fare caps - which mark the biggest change passengers will have seen since deregulation in 1986 - also include a single journey fare capped at £1 for children. The streamlined prices, a key component of Mayor Andy Burnham’s transformation of the bus network, will be launched in September, brought forward from Autumn 2023.
And whereas the initial plan was for a gradual roll-out across the conurbation, passengers across the whole of Greater Manchester will now benefit at the same time. The plan is reliant on co-operation from bus operators and the Government but means passengers could finally be freed from a ‘fragmented’ system involving more than 830 services run by 30 operators with 150 different ticket types.
READ MORE: Green light for bus reform: What does it mean for passengers?
The £5 fare will enable passengers to travel from when they buy the ticket until 3.59am the following day, across different operators. This compares to the current daily fare of £6.40. However, the maximum £2 for a single journey fare will only work for a single operator, with the London-style ‘Hopper’ fare currently on hold. It does mean, however, that passengers will no longer have to fork out, for example, £4.50 for a trip between Manchester and Middleton. If a ticket is usually less than £2, passengers will still pay that price.
Mayor Andy Burnham told the Manchester Evening News : “The decision to bring forward the new lower flat fares for Greater Manchester is driven by the cost of living crisis and we just want to help people now. That’s why we’ve brought forward the plan.
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“It’s simpler, it’s cheaper, it’s helping people when they need it. Myself and the 10 leaders are doing this together, we’ve taken the decision to help the public when they most need it but also help long-term ambitions by building the Bee Network now.”
He added: “We can’t commit that this will be forever and we will have an annual review as there are so many unknowns, including levels of Government funding and the return of passengers, but the best way we can collectively commit in the long term is if people use public transport now.”
Launchpad for £1.2bn changes to buses
The franchising model, where control over fares, timetables and services is moved away from profit-focused firms and placed in public hands, has been made possible by a judge's decision earlier this year which ruled against operators’ objections to the decision-making process. Bus operator Rotala is in the process of appealing this decision. These fare changes are taking place before franchising has been implemented - which is why hopper fares across different operators are not yet possible.
Although still subject to agreement from operators, these tickets have the potential to be a game changer for passengers who rely on public transport as energy prices and the cost of living continue to rocket. Mr Burnham and the 10 councils have covered the cost, estimated to up to £25m for the first year, through Government funding. However, the caps will have to be reviewed annually, particularly in light of post-pandemic passenger numbers, with Metrolink patronage now at 70pc of pre-Covid levels, and bus capacity at 80pc.
It’s the launchpad for a £1.2bn five-year programme of investment, including a fleet of electric buses with a uniform livery, new bus lanes and corridors, boosted connectivity and frequency between towns and cities and, finally, the high-tech ticketing and passenger information that Londoners have been enjoying for years.
In line with ambitions to clean up our air and achieve the region's 2038 carbon neutral target, longer-term goals for the ‘Bee Network’ include extensions to the Metrolink, tram-trains, more cycling and walking routes and joining up HS2 to the network.
The money comes from the Prime Minister’s ‘Bus Service Improvement’ fund. Greater Manchester had bid for £70m a year over three years but was awarded £94.8m in total to cover fares, service enhancements and other network improvements. As the government prepares to end emergency pandemic funding for buses and trams in September, it comes with a plea from Mr Burnham that people choose public transport over their cars wherever possible to sure up the future of the Bee Network.
'Use public transport - your city region needs you'
Mr Burnham said that the scheme was also contingent on agreement from the Government, about whose support he felt ‘confident’. He added: “The whole thing we are trying to do here is based on encouraging people to come and use the public transport system and back the Bee network and build the revenue.
“Fares are coming down, we need more people on the buses to sustain lower fares. We are really appealing to people to make the change now, build the Bee Network by becoming a public transport user.”
He said in turn this would save people money, reduce congestion and shore up the finances of Greater Manchester’s public transport system for the future.
He added: “We want people back to the office, back to the city centre. This is part of the appeal here. Your city region needs you because we are bringing this forward to help people but we need people to help us sustain this fare structure by using buses.
“This is what will help us build the Bee Network if people use this offer to change the way they move and leave the car at home. We are bringing it forward to help people now, right now. This year, immediately, ahead of the rise in energy bills.”
It’s been five years since Greater Manchester was first handed the powers to take back buses as part of the devolution deal but public consultations, assessments, Covid and legal wranglings with operators , have delayed its roll-out.
In the meantime, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has continued to subsidise the network, albeit with the help of Government bail-outs during the pandemic , funding those routes which would otherwise be axed by operators for not turning a profit.
These subsidies cost the taxpayer £30m a year, with around £8m going to school services and £22m to the routes which don't make money for the companies that run them.
Now that a judge has ruled against the operators who sought to block reform by arguing the decision-making process was flawed , the architects of change have sprung into action, devising an ‘accelerated’ plan - with cheaper fares placed firmly at the forefront.
Capped fares and bus reform are a key pillar in the ‘Bee Network’ - the vision for a public transport system that weaves together train, tram and bus services as well as walking and cycling to create a truly modern, sustainable, accessible model for the people of Greater Manchester.
The ethos behind the Bee Network is that connectivity into and between major centres in any city is key for access to jobs, health care and loved ones. It’s an argument supported by the Greater Manchester Independent Prosperity Review, which found that better infrastructure that supports access to jobs in the city centre and local area will help parts of the region with lower productivity, pay and living standards.
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