Free bus travel for 11 to 16-year-olds on Bee Network from January 2027

Free bus travel for all 11 to 16-year-olds with a bus pass will start across Greater Manchester in January 2027. Applications for the passes open on Tuesday 8 December 2026.

Up to 200,000 young people are expected to benefit. The scheme is expected to cost up to £20m a year. It was one of the first pledges of Mayor of Greater Manchester Bev Craig after her election in July.

Councillor Mike McCusker said the plans meant “all school-aged children should be able to travel for free, as they do in London”.

Trains join the Bee Network

Train stations across the region begin joining the Bee Network from December. The work continues in phases until 2030. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) says the aim is to improve rail services, reliability, infrastructure and the passenger experience.

A new ticketing system covering train, tram and bus travel is due in December. A Bee Network payment system with daily and weekly fare caps is due by the end of 2028.

Mandie Shilton Godwin, councillor for Chorlton Park, said: “I’ve heard people say they drive into Manchester because they’re not confident in using the train.”

Piccadilly underground station

TfGM has also updated its proposals for an underground station at Piccadilly. Bev Craig has said she wants a decision on the scheme by Christmas. The station would form part of the £45bn Northern Powerhouse Rail project to improve east-west travel across northern England.

TfGM is reviewing the options for Piccadilly. It will present its preferred plan and funding proposals to the government. Manchester’s civic leaders have set out ambitions for the station to become the “King’s Cross of the North”.