Greater Manchester Buses - Bee Network First Tranche

On the 24th September 2023 the Bee Network went live marking the most significant change to the bus services in the Greater Manchester area since deregulation in 1986. The Bee Network will be introduced in three tranches each having a mix of small and large franchise contracts which operators had to bid for. This DVD programme looks at the events resulting from the introduction of the first tranche filmed in October and December 2023. The areas affected include Bolton, Wigan and parts of Salford and Bury. The biggest of the franchises was awarded to Go North West (GNW) covering Bolton and Wigan, with smaller franchises awarded to Rotala's Diamond North West. In order to run the services a fleet of 50 BYD/ADL Enviro400City battery-electric double-deckers were introduced as well as a large fleet of ADL Enviro200MMC single-deckers that were starting to enter service during our filming. Before their arrival GNW borrowed over 40 similar vehicles from Go North, which are seen on this DVD.