A new initiative aimed at improving job flexibility and retention for bus drivers has been introduced across Greater Manchester’s Bee Network.
The Licence for Greater Manchester (LfGM) allows bus drivers to transfer between operators within the region without restarting at entry-level pay rates.
Previously, drivers changing employers were required to begin on the lowest pay band, regardless of experience. The new scheme recognises prior service, enabling more seamless movement across employers and encouraging longer-term careers in the industry.
The agreement has been made between Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), local bus operators, and Unite the Union.
More than 4,000 current Bee Network drivers will be covered by the agreement, with the same protections extended to future recruits.
TfGM stated that the LfGM builds on previous work to align pay and conditions under the Bee Network, which brings services under a more coordinated, public-facing system. It follows recent progress with operators signing up to the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter and committing to the Real Living Wage.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:By bringing all bus services in Greater Manchester together under the Bee Network we’ve been able to deliver massive benefits to passengers, who no longer have to buy different tickets from different bus operators.
We can now extend that change to Bee Network bus drivers, who’ll benefit from this ‘one system’ approach, with the ability to build a long-term career in Greater Manchester.
Not only do we want to attract new talent and nurture the next generation of drivers, we want to retain the experienced drivers who are fundamental to keeping the Bee Network running day in, day out.
I must thank Unite and other trade unions for their role in shaping not just this initiative, but the Bee Network itself, as well as the Transport Workforce Engagement Board which proposed the Licence for GM scheme.
