Diamond Bus (North West) Limited and Go North West Limited have been awarded contracts to run school bus services in the final phase of the Bee Network rollout.
These contracts will cover services in Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, and parts of Manchester and Salford from 5 January 2025.
This latest round of awards marks the completion of the Bee Network’s rollout, making Greater Manchester the first area in the UK to bring its buses back under local control since deregulation in 1986.
By early 2025, all bus services in the region will be franchised under the Bee Network, a move designed to provide more reliable and integrated public transport across the city and its surrounding areas.
Stephen Rhodes, TfGM’s Director of Bus, said:Awarding the last round of franchised contracts for school services is a major milestone towards delivering the Bee Network.
We are absolutely committed to delivering regular, reliable services to ensure they meet the needs of pupils who will be relying on them to get to and from school. We have made performance and reliability a key part of the contract award to deliver this positive change.
We look forward to working with Diamond Bus (North West) Limited and Go North West Limited over the coming months as we prepare to deliver the completion of bus franchising on 5th Jan 2025.
Under the newly awarded contracts, Diamond Bus (North West) Limited will operate seven contracts, while Go North West Limited will manage two. Together, these operators will serve 37 schools.
The new contracts emphasise service reliability, with operators facing financial penalties for poor performance.
Bob Dunn, Executive Director Diamond Bus North West, said:We are pleased to have been awarded a further seven franchises within Greater Manchester, meaning by next year we will be operating 18 small or school bus franchises. We are currently working hard making preparations for January, and we look forward to meeting our new customers and colleagues early next year.
Go North West managing director Nigel Featham, said:We are delighted to be awarded additional contracts, and look forward to working closely with TfGM to deliver high quality school bus transport. These contracts add to our existing large franchise work which we operate at depots in Bolton and Wigan. We have an exceptional team at Go North West and are proud of the quality of services we provide for passengers.
