Plans revealed to introduce more Manchester night buses

A new Bee Network service and improved frequency across several routes are being proposed to help boost growth, increase passenger numbers and support the night-time economy across Greater Manchester.

The new Greater Manchester Strategy (GMS) pledges to continue to develop the Bee Network as a transport system for a global city region, so that by 2030, 90% of the population live within 400m (five-minute walk or wheeling distance) of a bus or tram that comes at least every 30 minutes.

Recent improvements to Manchester’s bus system have seen a 14% year-on-year increase in passenger numbers, and a 7.8% rise in operated bus mileage in the first franchised areas.

The latest enhancements, which are due to start later this year, include new night buses connecting Bury and Rochdale with Manchester, the second all-new Bee Network bus service running between Wigan and Standish, and improved frequency across key routes in Bolton and Wigan – the first area to come under local control.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “We have been on an incredible journey since the launch of bus franchising, with the Bee Network playing a vital role in making Greater Manchester the growth success story in the UK by providing a cleaner, greener and more affordable way to get around the region.

“Public transport is one of seven key areas underpinning our future vision for Greater Manchester, and over the next decade we will continue to invest in the Bee Network and transform how people get around our city-region.

“This starts by adding more night buses, higher frequency services and new routes, helping connect people to jobs, education and other opportunities across a growing and thriving Greater Manchester, so that everyone can live a good life.”

Two new hourly night buses services are being proposed on the 135 (Manchester – Prestwich – Bury) and the 17/17a (Manchester – Middleton – Rochdale) which would connect Bury and Rochdale town centres with Manchester city centre, running through areas where car ownership is low, and serving key employment sites and hospitality venues in both town centres.

Unlike the existing V1 and 36 night buses, which run seven days a week, the new routes will initially run on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. The council say that this reflects patronage trends, which show that demand is expected to be initially lower at the start and middle of the week. They are expected to start before the end of the year, subject to approval at the Bee Network Committee later this month.

The V1 and 36 night buses, which were introduced as a pilot in September 2024, will be extended at least until the end of the 2025/26 financial year.

Meanwhile, work with local authorities is ongoing to assess plans to introduce night buses in Oldham, Tameside and Trafford in 2026/27, as well as wider opportunities to improve public transport access in all areas of Greater Manchester.

They include delivery of the UK’s first fully integrated, zero-emission public transport network, integration of rail lines into the Bee Network, and the region’s first operationally carbon-neutral interchange in Bury.

A new daytime and evening service between Wigan and Standish will launch on Sun 20 July, becoming the second new Bee Network service – after the 615 Wigan-Middlebrook Retail Park service – to be introduced since bus franchising was introduced in September 2023.

Six services running between Bolton, Leigh and Manchester will also see their service frequency increased in a move designed to grow patronage on key routes into the city centre.

Services on the Guided Busway will also be boosted so that they operate every four minutes between 7am and 8am, when the service is at its busiest, with extra departures in the afternoon from Manchester also added.