Young people aged 11-16 will soon be able to make use of free bus travel across Greater Manchester as newly-elected Mayor, Bev Craig, has announced an extension of Our Pass.
The change will take effect across the Bee Network in January 2027, with applications set to open later this year.
Expected to benefit almost 200,000 young people throughout the city region, the move will save families up to 500 GBP per child per year.
First introduced in 2019, Our Pass currently allows young people aged 16-18 travel across Greater Manchester free of charge, enabling access to education, training and job opportunities – with more than 50,000 young people utilising the scheme today.
Bev Craig, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:During my campaign I promised that I would apply a simple test to every decision I take as Mayor – will it make life better for the people of Greater Manchester? That’s why on day one I’m announcing the extension of Our Pass to give free bus travel to 11 to 16-year-olds. This is exactly the kind of decision that passes our test.
It will put more money in the pockets of thousands of hard-working families – up to around £500 a year for every child aged 11 to 16 – and gives those young people a ticket to all the brilliant opportunities our city region offers.
Families across Greater Manchester are struggling with the cost of living and I’m using my first day as Mayor to do something practical to make life a bit easier. By launching in January, young people will be boarding the Bee Network for free as they head back to school.
In an additional move, Bev announced that previously-agreed plans to give free travel to school on Bee Network buses to children living in temporary accommodation will be implemented starting this September. This extra support will be administered by councils, and is set to be in place for the start of the new school year.
Elsewhere, the Mayor confirmed a slew of improvements coming into effect as early as Sunday 30 August, including new routes and night services. These will consist of:
- A new 388 service that will provide an hourly bus between Ashton and Hyde via Stalybridge
- An extension of the 615, which will begin offering services to Bolton
From 1 September; a new 377 service will begin connecting the Woodford Garden Village residential development to Stockport town centre, whilst from Thursday 3 September a slew of new night services will begin serving communities on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. These new services will consist of:
- 50 (Manchester – Salford)
- 216 (Tameside – Manchester)
- 263 (Trafford – Manchester)
- 192 (Stockport – Manchester)
- 83 (Oldham – Manchester)
Finally; a new 612 service will begin providing a half-hourly (hourly on Sundays) service between Wigan and St Helens via Abrham, Golborne and Newton-le-Willows, which will align with the rollout of locally-controlled buses in the neighbouring Liverpool City Region.
