Guides › Regional networks

Bee Network — Greater Manchester

The first English region outside London to take back control of its buses

The Bee Network is Greater Manchester's franchised transport system, brought in under the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Rather than operators choosing their own routes and fares, the authority now specifies the network and contracts companies to run it — the same model as London, and the first of its kind in England outside the capital.

What changed

Buses were brought into franchising in phases across the region, adopting a single yellow livery and network identity regardless of which company operates them. Fares are set by the authority, with capped daily and weekly prices and free interchange between buses.

Beyond buses

The Bee Network brand covers Metrolink trams and cycling routes as well as buses, with the long-term aim of a single integrated system across Greater Manchester, eventually including local rail.

Tracking Bee Network buses

Greater Manchester services publish to the Bus Open Data Service, so they appear live on our map — filtered to the Greater Manchester boundary on the Bee Network page.

See Bee Network — Greater Manchester on the live map How our tracking works