The BEE Network has come to Marple!

So what? It’s probably just another franchise. Just like Stagecoach. No better, no worse. Well, not according to the advocates for an integrated transport network. But to understand this we have to look at the way public transport has developed and why it is changing.

Most public transport systems run along fixed routes with fixed stopping points and running to a prearranged timetable. With this definition, the very first public transport services were ferries, but, as society became more urbanised as a result of industrialisation, land transport came into vogue in the form of horse-drawn and then powered vehicles. The first movers were usually private individuals, but municipalities became engaged in ventures with the realisation that a cheap and well-organised transport system would offer a public good. High capital investment was also needed and public bodies often had easier access to such sources than private enterprise. By the 1930s virtually every municipality had its own fleet of buses and probably trams as well.

After the Second World War, the systems remained the same but the infrastructure was badly damaged. The local councils had numerous demands on their finances and investment in transport was not a priority. At the same time society was changing. Patterns of work were changing and more people were buying cars and motorbikes. Governments of all persuasions began to take more interest in mass transport systems and began to change the rules. The Age of Acronyms had begun.

The Transport Act 1968 made changes to the structure of nationally owned bus companies and created passenger transport authorities to take over public transport in large conurbations. Remember SELNEC? South East Lancashire, North East Cheshire. Goodbye Stockport buses; goodbye Manchester buses. In 1974 it was given a new name with different responsibilities - GMPTE - Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive. This lasted through until 2011 but a major reform of local government granted Greater Manchester more powers. This prompted a corporate rebranding and GMPTE became Transport for Greater Manchester - TfGM. These are similar initials to Transport for London - TfL, and that was no coincidence. Transport for London had been created in 2000 with the ultimate aim of controlling all means of transport within Greater London. It was hoped that Manchester could follow the same path.

These new powers were linked to the appointment of mayors for the regional authorities and Greater Manchester was encouraged by central government to take the lead In developing an integrated transport network. Of course, a new concept deserves a new name so the Bee Network was created. The bee is a familiar symbol in the region as it has been used by Manchester since the industrial revolution and figures in the city coat of arms. The various local governments in Greater Manchester have delegated most of their transport responsibilities to the Bee Network Committee. Each local authority appoints one member to sit alongside the mayor, a member of the Combined Authority and up to four other councillors appointed by the mayor. This committee has four key responsibilities:

1. Decision making over significant operational matters (including the ability to obtain funding for investment)
2. Monitoring the performance and finances of the network
3. Developing policy to support the local transport plan
4. Coordinating with the ten local authorities to agree highway maintenance and infrastructure delivery.

A straightforward comparison with TfL is a good way to assess the Bee Network's progress so far and determine its future goals.

Buses

TfL is responsible for managing the red bus network, largely by contracting services to various private sector bus operators. Originally this was not the case outside London but in 2017, the Bus Services Act allowed combined authorities to bring buses back under their control, and Greater Manchester was the first to do so. It re-regulated its system in three parts.
Tranche 1 - Bolton, Wigan and parts of Bury and Rochdale.
This was taken control of in September 2023.
Tranche 2 - Oldham Rochdale Salford and northern Manchester
Took place March 2024
Tranche 3 - Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and southern Manchester
Initiated January 2025
The control of buses is now complete. The livery will be changed gradually, fares will be controlled and new ideas introduced such as an annual ticket. On some routes there may be experiments in running buses on a frequency basis (headway) rather than timetable.

Trams

In this area, TfL has not nearly so extensive a network as Bee. Croydon has only 28 kms of line with 28 stops, whereas Manchester has 103 kms with 99 stops and plans for further small extensions over the next five years. As Metrolink has been owned by TfGM since its inception, it is well integrated with other transport modes.

Railways

Here TfL has a much more comprehensive network with Docklands Light Railway and London Overground which comprises National Rail services within London. In Manchester there has been tentative co-operation with Network Rail to upgrade some of the central railway stations and a contactless payment system is being trialled on two lines. However, the pace is picking up and eight routes are planned to join the Bee Network by 2030. This has now been brought forward to 2028. Three of those routes affect this locality - Glossop, Rose Hill, Marple and Buxton, all going into Piccadilly.

Cycling and walking

Both TfL and TfGM have responsibilities to improve access and availability for both walking and cycling by working in collaboration with local authorities to create segregated cycle ways and dedicated walking routes. The Manchester plans were laid out in 2017 for 120 kms of cycle lanes and 2900 kms of dedicated walking/cycling routes. Gradual progress is being made towards these targets and a dockless cycle hire scheme was launched in 2021 using Beryl bikes.

Other responsibilities

• TfL has many other areas of operation which are not yet within the sphere of operation for Bee Network. These include:
• Public Carriage Office - Responsible for licensing taxis and private hire vehicles
• Streets - Control of the strategic road network including bus routes
• Congestion charge - At present there is no congestion charge in Manchester as it was prevented by the government from implementing it.
• Road safety
• Traffic enforcement - Enforcing traffic and parking regulations on the streets it controls
• Community safety - Delivering policing services that tackle crime and disorder on public transport
• Neighbourhood zones - A particularly contentious responsibility to funnel through traffic onto major routes and develop safer neighbourhoods with drastically reduced traffic flows.

So far the Bee Network has started well and received plenty of plaudits but its work of integrating public transport has hardly begun. The low-hanging fruit are in the process of being picked now that all bus services have been brought within its remit. Progress from now on will be incremental, and there will be far more public criticism, probably accentuated because of the initial successes. In particular, if it is given authority to take control of traffic enforcement and if a congestion charge is brought in, there will be considerable scope for conflict with the same public it has been set up to serve. We wish it well but it has a narrow path to follow.

Neil Mullineux - February 2025

Futher Reading:

• The Journey To The Bee Network (YouTube Video)
• Bee Network’s Final Takeover: Manchester's Franchising Model Explained (YouTube VIdeo)