When Oldham will start to see yellow buses on the roads

It’s part of the city’s Bee Network bus franchising plans, which have now gone live in some boroughs, including Bolton and Wigan, as well as parts of Salford, Manchester and Bury.

However, yellow buses have been seen in other parts of the city as operators start to rebrand their buses ahead of the changes. Some changes are already in effect in Oldham, such as the new Bee Network app, which lets you buy bus and tram tickets.

Now, Transport for Greater Manchester, which operates the Bee Network, has confirmed when yellow buses will be seen on Oldham’s streets.

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A TfGM spokesperson said: “The second tranche of bus franchising – covering Oldham and Rochdale as well as parts of Bury, Salford and north Manchester, goes live on March 24, 2024.

“This will see the introduction of 50 new Zero Emission Buses (ZEBs) operating out of the Oldham Depot from the launch date. We will also be working with operators around other bus fleets.

“In the meantime, people in the tranche 2 area may spot some yellow buses on their routes in the coming months, as operators begin to adopt the Bee Network livery in preparation for the official start of franchised services.

“People may also spot splashes of yellow across the boroughs when Bee Network branding and signage at bus stops and shelters is rolled out later this year.”

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The Bee Network

As part of the new Bee Network, bus routes, timetables and more are controlled by Transport for Greater Manchester.

Oldham’s buses will come under the system from March 2024, along with Rochdale, north Manchester, and the remaining parts of Bury and Salford. The change will see First Bus effectively exiled from the borough, with Stagecoach and Diamond set to run all local services under a franchise from Transport for Greater Manchester.

The remaining parts of the city region are set to join from January 2025.

First operates many of the borough's services (Image: Jack Fifield, Newsquest)

New buses include upgrades such as audio-visual stop announcements, which have been seen on London’s buses since 2009.

After Greater Manchester buses in every borough have been brought under the system, passengers will be 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.

The system may even go cashless in the future, with Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham previously saying there was "an argument both ways" and that a decision had not been taken, before adding that most felt it would be safer and speed up journeys to go cashless.