Stagecoach and Vision win Bee Network school contracts
Stagecoach and Vision have been awarded contracts to provide school services in Wigan, Bolton and parts of Salford and Bury.
They have been awarded as part of the latest round of contracts for the Bee Network, the name given to the upcoming franchised bus network in Greater Manchester. Franchising starts in the region from September.
Stagecoach has been awarded 17 contracts and Vision six, covering a total of 31 schools. There will be no changes to the schools served or the numbers of buses used under the new contracts.
According to Transport for Greater Manchester, the move to a franchised network, including school bus services, means Greater Manchester can:
- Better plan and integrate services with the wider Bee Network
- Improve the performance of services with a consistent monitoring regime, fleet specifications and onboard equipment
- Improve customer services through the Bee Network Customer Contact Centre
- Provide access to integrated ticketing products.
Anne Marie Purcell, TfGM’s Bus Franchising Director, said: “We’re pleased to have once again received such high-levels of interest from operators to run the first school services.
“We have made performance and reliability a key part of these contracts to ensure a positive experience for all those young people who will be relying on them to get to and from school.
“We look forward to working with Stagecoach and Vision over the coming months as we gear-up for the first Bee Network school bus services starting in September.”