Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester and a potential future prime minister, is spearheading a transformation of UK transport by expanding the Bee Network model—a publicly controlled, integrated bus and tram system—beyond Manchester. His approach challenges decades of deregulation, aiming to restore public interest and connectivity.
From deregulation to public control
Burnham described the shift from deregulation to public control as transformative. 'You go from deregulation to regaining public control, it’s just unbelievable what becomes possible,' he said. 'It’s mind-blowing that deregulation was ever, ever brought in – public interest went out the window and people were cut off.' Greater Manchester’s buses, once a stark example of deregulation, now operate under the Bee Network, which has driven up patronage by 24% over three years to 178 million bus journeys in 2026.
National rollout of bus franchising
The move to public control via franchising, pioneered by Burnham under mayoral powers, is now being extended nationwide. Labour government legislation has enabled all councils to adopt similar systems. The Bee Network combines franchised bus routes with the Metrolink tram system and will eventually include urban rail services, emulating London’s Transport for London (TfL) model. Burnham has kept bus fares low, including a £2 single fare and free or discounted travel for young people in further education.
Financial challenges and subsidies
Despite success, the Bee Network requires significant subsidy. Fare revenue covers only half of operations, with £88 million from trams and £269 million from buses in 2025-26, against combined local and central government funding of £376 million. Transition costs included £135 million to buy back bus depots. However, Burnham noted that re-regulated services cost one-third less per kilometre than the old regime, where private companies cherry-picked lucrative routes, leaving councils to subsidize unprofitable services and discounted travel.
'They had you over a barrel,' Burnham said. 'I had to pay in the old world for every time a 16-year-old or 70-year-old used that bus pass – they got that fee. Now we’re just forgoing revenue.'
Rail renationalisation and Great British Railways
Rail is also returning to state ownership. Most passenger train services will join Network Rail under Great British Railways (GBR) by the end of 2027. This cross-party initiative aims to replace the broken franchising system, integrate track and train management, and overhaul ticketing. Rail minister Lord Peter Hendy emphasized the need for local accountability: 'If you’ve got a contract for something, the way to make money out of it is to read it carefully and find what makes you the most money, but on the railway that’s not the same as satisfying a customer.'
Expert perspectives and future investment
Professor Tony Travers of the London School of Economics praised the Bee Network: 'It’s a good system. When I go to Manchester now I use the tram, in the way I’d use the Métro in Paris – and that’s not true elsewhere in Britain. It’s made significant strides in creating the kind of integrated transport other European cities have.' However, he cautioned that other cities like Leeds, Birmingham, and Bristol need enormous investment to match Manchester’s standards, and rural areas face even higher costs.
Burnham acknowledged the challenge: 'I’ve been in politics a long time and I’ve never known anything as impactful as the Bee Network. And it makes me wonder, why did Westminster just ignore buses for all those years? Because this is something that is on every street. People see the change and they feel it.'
