Transport for Greater Manchester reveals a 5% increase in patronage on the first phase of Bee Network routes with revenues £3m ahead of budget
Plans to improve performance at Tranche Two are underway
Patronage on the first tranche of franchised Bee Network services in Greater Manchester has seen a consistent increase, with a 5% rise in passenger numbers over the past six months, according to figures disclosed by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) to members last month.
The week ending May 18 marked a record high in weekly patronage since the start of franchising in September 2023, with over 849,000 passenger journeys.
The rising patronage is also having an impact on the Bee Network’s finances – between September 24, 2023, and March 31, 2024, passenger revenues exceeded £20m, approximately £3m above the budgeted figure for the 2023/24 financial year. This positive revenue trend has continued into the current financial year, with revenues already surpassing the 2024/25 budget target by around 5%.
This strong patronage and revenue performance helps to mitigate wider financial pressures and risks across the franchised bus network and wider transport operations
“This strong patronage and revenue performance helps to mitigate wider financial pressures and risks across the franchised bus network and wider transport operations,” Steve Warrener, TfGM’s managing director, told members of the Bee Network Committee late last month.
In terms of service punctuality, Tranche One services, which cover Wigan, Bolton, and parts of Bury and Salford, are now consistently outperforming both the existing non-franchised network and the pre-franchised network in the same area from the previous year.
Another key performance metric, the percentage of scheduled kilometres operated, has remained high, with over 98% of scheduled kilometres being delivered, showing a steady upward trend in the six-week period leading up to June 22, 2024.
Efforts to improve service delivery continue under a ‘Network Excellence Plan,’ including the addition of 20 vehicles to Tranche One routes in April, which has notably enhanced performance on the V1 and V2 Busway services connecting Leigh with central Manchester. Most amended routes achieved punctuality rates above the 80% target in the four weeks ending June 22, with some significantly exceeding this benchmark. Overall, Tranche One services recorded an average punctuality rate of 82.9% between April 28 and June 23, 2024, up from 68.7% in the same period last year.
Warrener highlighted ongoing collaboration with operators to address issues raised through the ‘Rate Your Journey’ survey and other passenger feedback, including targeted actions such as additional driver training.
Diamond Bus, which operates 69 vehicles across seven small franchises in Tranche One, has introduced 60 new Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 single deckers since March and the new fleet has significantly improved reliability, with over 99.8% of scheduled kilometres operated in the four-week period ending June 22, 2024, addressing issues previously caused by the older interim fleet.
For Tranche Two services, covering Rochdale, Oldham, and parts of Bury, Warrener acknowledged initial performance challenges due to high staff absence at the Oldham depot, but noted that Stagecoach had quickly addressed these issues. He also confirmed that TfGM had acquired bus depots in Oldham and Queen’s Road, with ongoing negotiations to purchase the Middleton depot from its landlord.
Warrener also revealed that plans for performance improvements for the Tranche Two network were now underway in partnership with Stagecoach and individual local authorities, to assess what interventions are necessary to improve the worst performing routes.
Our original patronage and revenue forecasts for Tranche Two were increased in light of the positive trends seen in Tranche One. Actual performance is tracking in line with these revised forecasts
He continued: “Our original patronage and revenue forecasts for Tranche Two were increased in light of the positive trends seen in Tranche One. Actual performance is tracking in line with these revised forecasts. However, it remains relatively early days and we need to observe performance over a longer period of time before reaching any conclusions.”
Meanwhile, turning to Tranche Three which covers the final round of Bee Network services in Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and remaining parts of Greater Manchester, the acquisition of the final depot in the area – Sharston – is in the final stages. Metroline, which won four of the five large franchises in Tranche Three has established a mobilisation office on Hyde Road as well as a training centre at the Arriva Wythenshawe depot site.
This article appears in the latest issue of Passenger Transport.
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The post Patronage boost sees Bee Network on track first appeared on Passenger Transport.