Bee Network set for more changes after pensioner bus pass rules lifted

Public transport has undergone a huge transformation in recent years, with buses being brought under public control and those serving Bolton being among the first.

According to Transport Focus, only 63 per cent of UK bus passengers believed they were getting value for money in 2025, down from 73 per cent in 2024.

But Greater Manchester bucked this trend – with 79 per cent saying the Bee Network offered value for money, up from 73 per cent the previous year.

Greater Manchester also shows the biggest improvement, rising seven percentage points from 79 per cent to 86 per cent, putting it above the England average.

Fran Wilkinson, Customer and Growth Director at Transport for Greater Manchester, said: “These results show the Bee Network is making a real difference to passengers.

“We’ve worked hard to keep the cost of travel down, capping fares and making multi-modal travel by bus and tram cheaper and more convenient and it’s great that passengers are already feeling the benefit of this.

“This report, which shows a significant improvement in passenger satisfaction, explains why more and more people are using public transport in Greater Manchester.

“Bringing buses under public control has allowed us to freeze fares at £2 for another year, make improvements to services, introduce new routes and increase reliability.

“It’s also meant that we were recently able to lift the 9.30am rule on concessionary passes, giving older and disabled people free round-the-clock travel every day.

“We are now looking at providing free travel for some children in temporary accommodation too.”

Bolton resident Wendy Pye said the bus pass changes were ‘welcome’ (Image: Dan Dougherty)

And 86 per cent of those surveyed said they were ‘satisfied’ with the service overall, up from 79 per cent in 2024 – the highest increase of any area in the UK.

Transport Focus surveyed 47,863 passengers throughout the UK to complete its survey, covering 43 separate areas.

Greater Manchester’s 79 per cent approval rating for value for money puts it high above the national average of 63 per cent.

Its overall satisfaction rate of 86 per cent puts it slightly above the 85 per cent national average.

Bus passengers across England have reported further improvements in satisfaction with their journey with overall satisfaction rising to 85 per cent in the third year of the independent watchdog’s Your Bus Journey survey.

The results of the annual Transport Focus survey show an improvement on last year’s score of 83 per cent, although results continue to vary significantly between local authority areas. Passengers in both Greater Nottingham and Warwickshire are the most satisfied with their journeys at 93 per cent. Passengers in Thurrock (Essex) are the least satisfied in England, scoring 73 per cent.