Recent Achievements

Mobilising the Manchester Bee Network contract   

a double decker bus parked in a row
Case Study at a glance

50

routes

900+

drivers

320

buses

100+

volunteers

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) chose Go-Ahead as its partner for the first two contracts as part of its plan to re-regulate bus services in the city region under its new Bee Network.

On 24 September 2023, the new franchise went live with Go North West (GNW) operating the first Bee Network buses from depots in Bolton and Wigan, marking the start of a new era for public transport in Greater Manchester.

This was, at the time, the largest and most complex mobilisation the UK bus industry had seen since deregulation 40 years ago.

A nine-month mobilisation period

To achieve the ambitious target for this large and multifaceted project, GNW formed a dedicated transition team (led by a Transition Director and Project Manager) with 10 functional leads and a 40-person team for recruitment, onboarding, induction, and training.

The mobilisation saw the successful overnight transfer of 50 routes from five outgoing operators with more than 550 drivers, two depots and 320 buses (including 50 new electric vehicles), as well as the installation of new ticket machines and software on all buses.

We undertook multiple initiatives to support the high-profile transition, including:

  • A brand new, award-winning recruitment and training programme branded Elite, designed to raise the profile of bus careers, access applicants beyond traditional target groups and provide a highly engaging learning environment.
  • A significant increase to our in-house training capacity including a new fleet of specially branded training buses and enlarged training team.
  • An industry-leading multi-channel colleague engagement programme to support and reassure the hundreds of employees eligible to transfer to us under TUPE from incumbent operators.
  • Contingency vehicles and 80+ drivers sourced from across our UK business.
  • Welcoming volunteers from across the Group to support throughout the transition weekend.

Measuring success 

These initiatives led to an overwhelmingly successful mobilisation. We saw several positive outcomes from our efforts, including:

  • A full team of drivers deployed from day one.
  • Punctuality improving by more than 10% in the first 12 months of operation.
  • Record level of recruitment and training, despite inheriting a 40% shortfall of drivers from the incumbent operators.
  • The development of a brand-new, industry-leading Operational Control Centre, which opened in September 2024, further enhancing performance.
  • Successful collaboration between GNW and TfGM to ensure deployment of 50 new electric buses and charging infrastructure from day one, supported by our Zero Emission Centre for Excellence.
  • High engagement levels with staff, positive union relations and promotion of a unified ‘one team’ culture, underpinned by an innovative ‘Get Up & Go’ internal values campaign.
  • Full Member status of Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter.
  • Recipient of a Real Living Wage employer accreditation, delivering community benefits through job creation, training, and social impact initiatives led by our Social Value Manager.
  • Achieving ISO 14001 and 45001 accreditation earlier than planned. These international standards are awarded for success in delivering environment management systems and occupation health and safety, respectively.
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We have worked in partnership with Go North West to make bus franchising a success. In just a year we have seen patronage and punctuality significantly increase, revenue exceed forecast and the cost of operation fall. The job now is to continuously improve services in collaboration with our local districts and communities and we look forward bringing the rest of Greater Manchester’s bus network under public control from January next year. I’d like to thank the people of Transport for Greater Manchester and Go North West for all their hard work and commitment in achieving these results.

Vernon Everitt

Transport Commissioner for Greater Manchester

Expanding the Bee Network

Since the successful mobilisation of the first Manchester Bee Network routes, Go North West has expanded its operations within the Bee Network.

The mobilisation of these contracts required the opening of a new depot in Denton in January 2025, creating additional job opportunities and further strengthening our contribution to the local community.

The successful mobilisation of the Manchester Bee Network showcases our expertise and capability to deliver high-profile, large-scale, and nationally significant projects with precision and impact.