“I’ll Bee Bolder than Labour on public transport” pledges Green mayoral candidate

The Green Party has pledged to make bus travel free for everyone under the age of 22 across Greater Manchester.  

Green mayoral candidate Gerladine Coggins said: 

“Young people are struggling to get by, facing sky-high rents, steep energy and food bills while racking up student debt. I’ll make buses free for everyone under the age of 22, so that the costs of travel are never a barrier to getting to education, work, training or a night out. We can more than cover the cost of this by introducing a £3 overnight visitor levy on hotel accommodation – which will go virtually unnoticed by those paying for it but will raise millions to fund such a scheme [1].” 

In further pledges to make transport cheaper and improve connections across Greater Manchester, the Greens say they will launch the ‘Bee Orbit’ [2] – a new network of high-frequency, express orbital bus routes linking towns across Greater Manchester – and work towards contactless ticketing that can be used across all local trains, buses and trams within Greater Manchester.   

Coggins said: 

“Many journeys between Greater Manchester’s towns are slow and indirect because they are funnelled through the city centre. Direct, high-frequency orbital buses will cut journey times, connect people to jobs, leisure and hospitals and bring communities closer together.  

“I’ll Bee Bolder than Labour on public transport in Greater Manchester. From day one as mayor I’ll begin work on the Bee Orbit and plan to make sure tickets can be used across all Greater Manchester’s public transport options.   

“I want to see a transport system that is a win win win for local residents – cutting travel costs, reducing congestion and improving air quality by cutting emissions.” 

Today’s announcement follows pledges on housing and high streets. 

 Notes 

1. The anticipated cost for making under-22 bus travel free is approximately £9.2 million for 2027/28 and £10.6 million for 2028/29. To fund this policy, a Green Mayor will implement a £3 overnight visitor levy on hotel accommodation as soon as legislation allows, which is expected to raise over £20 million per year.   

2. Bee Orbit will connect hundreds of thousands of residents across Rochdale, Oldham, Tameside and Stockport, quickly followed by a regular express service in the northern corridor connecting key locations in Rochdale, Bolton, Bury and Wigan. These will be complemented by new orbital bus routes around Manchester, Salford and Trafford, reducing car use for short journeys.