Manchester orders 50 double-deck electric buses

Transport for Greater Manchester has awarded Alexander Dennis a multi-million-pound order for 50 double-deck electric buses.

Due to operate across Wigan and Bolton from next September, they will be the first to bear the branding of the new Bee Network – Greater Manchester’s plan for a fully integrated, London-style transport system comprising buses, trams, walking and cycling, and eventually trains.

The new bus order and brand preview come as TfGM confirms receipt of 33 bids from operators vying to run the first locally controlled bus services in 36 years. The bids have come from nine different operators and relate to 11 different franchises that will operate across Wigan and Bolton from next September.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said, “The countdown to bringing buses back under local control for the first time in 36 years is well and truly on. With the order placed for our first 50 new electric buses and strong interest from operators who want to run the first franchised services a year from now, the Bee Network is gathering real momentum.

“We’ve already seen a positive response to our call for people to get back on board, helped by the successful introduction of cheaper bus fares across Greater Manchester to help residents cope with the cost-of-living crisis and I’m pleased to announce that we have commenced engagement with operators about the potential to cap weekly bus tickets from early next year.

"I am also delighted to unveil a sneak peek of what the Bee Network is going to look like. We’re building on Manchester’s symbolic bee and Metrolink colours – both of which are synonymous with our city-region – to deliver something modern and iconic that reflects the first-class transport network it will become.

“In Greater Manchester we are leading the way when it comes to improving intra-city transport and connectivity between our villages, towns and cities.

“The previous government bought into what we are trying to do, and I’ve underlined the importance of this partnership approach continuing during my meeting with the new Transport Secretary. By working together, we will realise our ambitions and deliver a network that will transform how people get around our city region – not just in the years ahead but for future generations.”

Bus franchising will be rolled out in phases, starting in Bolton and Wigan as well as parts of Salford and West Manchester on 17 September 2023, followed by Bury, Rochdale, Oldham and parts of North Manchester from the end of March 2024 and Stockport, Trafford, Tameside and South Manchester as well as the remaining parts of Salford from 5 January 2025.

Alongside new and better infrastructure and services, ensuring people feel safe to travel on public transport and to use cycling and walking routes is equally important in delivering the Bee Network and critical to the future success of the city-region.

Currently around 60% of trips in Greater Manchester are made by car and 40% through more sustainable travel, such as public transport, cycling and walking. To support its ambition to make that split 50/50 by 2040 and with public transport use still some way below pre-pandemic levels, TfGM is set to launch its biggest ever campaign to get more people back onboard their local bus and tram service or consider a move to active travel.

Encouraging modal shift and investing in a cleaner, greener fleet is critical to the city-region’s decarbonisation ambition, and Greater Manchester remains on course to have a third of the city-region’s bus fleet electric by 2027 with all buses expected to be zero emission by 2032.

The 50 new buses will be funded from the government’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), with around 300 more electric buses to be delivered from 2024 through to 2027. A further 170 electric buses, funded from the DfT’s Zero Emission Buses Regional Area (ZEBRA) scheme, will run in Stockport from 2024. The move will singlehandedly reduce carbon emissions by 1.1 million tonnes.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the new Secretary of State for Transport, said, “People up and down the country deserve a clean, reliable and affordable public transport system. That’s why we’ve provided Greater Manchester with over £1 billion to level up transport and power the local economy.

"These fifty state-of-the-art electric buses will help people in Greater Manchester benefit from cleaner air, while the additional £94 million we’re investing in the area will help to deliver frequent and timely bus services for the local communities.”