Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has answered a question about when Oldham will get a new bus route to Rochdale.

The mayor was answering a question sent by text from Linda in Milnrow on his BBC Radio Manchester Hot Seat show, on Thursday, September 14.

Linda asked: ‘When are we going to get a bus that goes from Rochdale through to Oldham via Milnrow and Newhey?’

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The mayor, flanked by stand-in host Gaz Drinkwater, responded: “Well, it’s actually a really topical question because we’re 10 days away now from the Bee Network. It’s getting a bit nerve-wracking, if I’m honest Gaz.

“We’re all going yellow, well Wigan and Bolton, and the west of Greater Manchester is going yellow first, but Oldham and Rochdale are going yellow in March next year.

“That is not just about turning the colours of the buses and not making any other changes, the fundamental change is we’re taking control of the system in the north of Greater Manchester from next March, and at that point, we’ll be able to change the routes.

“I’m looking really carefully, actually, at whether or not we can create more what we could call orbital bus connections across the city region.

“So not buses just going in and out of the city centre, but linking Oldham and Rochdale, or Rochdale and Bury, and looking at those orbital connections across the city-region.

“I’ve taken note of the request, and the truth of the matter is we won’t be able to do it on day one, but it’s certainly something I want to see as we take control of the network and then reshape the network once we’re back in charge.”

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The Bee Network

The Bee Network is set to launch on September 24 in Bolton and Wigan, with 50 electric buses set to be rolled out on launch.

The network aims to create a London-style transport system, with buses controlled by Greater Manchester, and ticketing integrated.

In Oldham, First bus will be removed from the borough, with Stagecoach and Diamond set to run local services under ‘Bee Network’ branding and ticketing.

All boroughs in the region are set to be included by January 2025, with passengers then able to tap-in and tap-out across all buses and trams, without having to decide on a ticket in advance, with fares capped at the "Bee AnyBus + Tram" price, similar to the system which has already been in place in London’s transport system for years, as well as many other major cities across the globe.

Buses are also set to gain audio-visual stop announcement systems, something which has been missing from many of Greater Manchester’s buses, despite its presence in other cities.

Local rail is set to be integrated from 2030, with a pilot of contactless tap-and-go payments on two rail lines, Stalybridge to Victoria and Glossop to Piccadilly, set to launch in 2025.