Bolton professor calls for local accents on Bee Network buses

New technology telling passengers what stops are coming up was one of the many upgrades brought to Greater Manchester when it brought buses back under local control.

But calls are growing for northern accents to replace the neutral automated sounds which keep bus passengers updated every day.

It’s not just buses either, at Manchester Piccadilly train station an automated voice using what seems to be received pronunciation – also known as King’s English – is often what keeps commuters updated.

Rob Drummond, Professor of Sociolinguistics at Manchester Metropolitan University, is one of those asking for a switch to local voices on public transport and in public spaces across the city region.

He’s from the south east but has become an ‘adopted northerner’ having lived in Bolton since 1999, and believes using northern accents on local transport could make a massive difference.

“People might say there are more important things to worry about, but it’s a nice thing, and it gives people that extra opportunity to have a bit of pride in their community,” he said.

“The more people hear their voices around the more they feel comfortable. Unfortunately, we still live in a world where people do get mocked for the way they speak.”

A research project by Professor Drummond called Westminster Voices focused on how speech can impact politics.

His findings were referenced by Leigh and Atherton MP Jo Platt earlier this month during a debate about accents.

Speaking to the Northern Agenda newsletter recently, the MP said: “Regional accents continue to shape perceptions of competence, authority and credibility in ways that are often subtle but deeply consequential, influencing opportunities in politics, the workplace and public life.

“As someone who grew up in Salford and has lived in Leigh for more than two decades, like many people from working-class backgrounds, I have questioned whether sounding different would make me appear more professional or more credible.

“That experience is far from unique, and it raises important questions about why we continue to associate certain accents with competence, authority and intelligence.”

Professor Drummond argues that having local accents in public places as opposed to ‘default’ RP voices could be a way to start tackling such issues over accents and how they are perceived.

He said: “I think there should be more accents. I live in Bolton and a few years ago I got on a bus and I was really struck by how it had a Bolton accent [making announcements] on it.

“This was before the Bee Network, the bus company had run a competition for the voice on the bus. It really struck me as being a really nice thing.

“The fact that it’s an RP-type voice now means either someone has not given it any thought and its just a default voice that’s used in all sorts of places, or if they have given it some thought they’ve decided we need the voice to be understandable by as many people as possible, and that it needs to be RP to do that.

“But we are in the region here so everyone is going to understand a local accent from Greater Manchester.

“I would definitely encourage them to make that switch.”

The calls to ditch automatic voices for northern ones have also been backed by Jon-Connor Lyons, a Councillor in central Manchester who grew up in Newton Heath.

He told the LDRS: “The Bee Network has been transformational for Greater Manchester. Combined with the £2 fare cap, it has made public transport more affordable and more accessible for people across our city-region.

“What better way to celebrate Greater Manchester continuing to lead the way than by giving our Bee Network buses a proudly Mancunian voice? It might seem like a small change, but it would reflect the warmth and identity of the place we all call home.

“With Andy Burnham now serving as our Prime Minister and taking the success of Greater Manchester’s £2 fare cap nationwide from January, our city-region is once again showing how bold Labour ideas can become national policy.

“The Bee Network is about more than getting from A to B, it’s about building pride in our communities, and a Mancunian voice on our buses would be a fitting celebration of Greater Manchester’s culture, confidence and leadership.”

One place that passengers are likely to hear local voices making announcements is on Northern trains.

The company said it drafted in its own staff to record announcements which are made on board its services, having ditched the ‘default’ automated voice used across the country.

“Announcements on board our trains are voiced by real colleagues who work for Northern,” a spokesperson said.

“Our network is home to some of the most distinctive and proud regional identities in the country, and we believe that it’s important for our announcements to reflect the diversity of the people and places we serve.”

It was pointed out that many of the announcements made at Manchester Piccadilly train station are voiced by actual staff during their shifts, so these do reflect the variety of accents of people who live and work in Greater Manchester -not everything is done by default.

But with Greater Manchester at the start of a new era, being home to the Prime Minister’s Number 10 North, more people are asking for the region’s public spaces to reflect the voices of the people from here.

Transport for Greater Manchester was contacted for comment.