First Manchester awarded franchise contracts for six school services from March 2024
First Bus in Manchester has been awarded franchise contracts to operate services for six schools in the evolving Bee Network being introduced across the region.
The operator will begin running the routes from March 2024 as part of the phase two rollout of franchised bus services by Transport for Greater Manchester.
First Bus will be responsible for services to St Monica’s High School in Prestwich, two schools in the Co-op Academy North Manchester, St Cuthbert’s School in Rochdale, Waterhead Academy in Oldham and St Matthew RC High School in Moston. There will be no changes to the service numbers of buses used on the routes.
These contracts build on the award of franchises for general bus services in Rochdale which First Bus will also start operating next March.
Zoe Hands, Managing Director of First Bus in Manchester, said: “First Bus is delighted to be awarded these franchise contracts for school services in Greater Manchester.
“We look forward to working with the Mayor and Transport for Greater Manchester in building the Bee Network and are thrilled to be serving new communities in the region.
“Our absolute priority will be to deliver a reliable service in partnership with TfGM with a best-in-class, customer-first approach to support the education of children.”
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Notes to editors
Media enquiries to Richard Harrison, PR Manager, First Bus North & West Yorkshire 07973 668116 richard.m.harrison@firstbus.co.uk
About First Bus
First Bus is one of the UK’s largest bus operators. Making journeys easier for our customers, we were the first national bus operator to accept contactless card payments across all of our services and our First Bus App is voted ‘best in class’ amongst UK bus operators. Our most recent investments are in new, state-of-the-art buses across our key networks.
We work proactively with our local authority partners, making a positive impact on air quality, tackling congestion and improving customer experience. We are focused on First Bus becoming a leader in the transition to a low-carbon future and are committed to operating a zero emission bus fleet by 2035; we have pledged not to purchase any new diesel buses after December 2022. We also operate the Aircoach network in Ireland.
First Bus is an equal opportunities employer and a division of FirstGroup.