Bolton buses: Metro Mayor apology for issues under shake-up
The authorities took control of buses, from tickets to timetables, when it launched in Bolton and Wigan on September 24.
On Monday, within a day of the launch, it was clear it was not without its problems.
A post by the Bee Network account on X, formerly Twitter, received a number of responses reporting issues with the buses not turning up on time or the buses not turning up at all, as well as reporting issues with the Bee Network app.
The Metro Mayor apologised to those affected by the disruption in an interview with the Bolton News at Bolton Interchange.
Mr Burnham said: “I apologise to the people affected by this. But if people cast their minds back to the mid-1980s, when the old orange and white GM buses were deregulated, there was chaos for weeks and I mean chaos for weeks.
“Some of the issues are things like issues with the radios, issues with the IT and challenges with transferring the drivers over from one company to another company, but I would like to thank the staff who are out there providing the system because, bearing in mind the change, we’ve at Bolton Interchange throughout the weekend and it is actually running well.”
Nick Peel, the leader of Bolton Council, was in agreement with the leader of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
Cllr Peel said: “It is the biggest shake-up of the bus network in Britain for 40 years.
“If there are teething problems in six months then we need to take a look at ourselves but there are going to be teething problems on day one. I am pretty sure the people on the bus network are pretty pleased with what they’ve seen. ”
Day two of the Bee Network… We are still buzzing! 😊
We are here to help with any travel queries, so please do drop us a tweet if you need us.
Hope you all have a great day!
— Bee Network (@BeeNetwork) September 25, 2023
The Bee Network is a risk in that it relies in an increase in patronage in to be sustainable.
Mr Burnham and Cllr Peel asked residents to get on board the buses, which now include a fleet of 50 state-of-the-art, zero-emission vehicles.
Mr Burnham said: “In the words of Coldplay, it is all yellow outside Bolton Interchange today.
“A big change has happened and we are in control of our buses after 40 years of deregulation.
“For four decades people have had no comeback if the buses didn’t turn up on time or didn’t turn up at all. The operators were able to suit themselves.
“They cannot anymore. The people of Bolton are the bosses of the buses and not before time.”
Cllr Peel said: “It is not about the people who have no option because they have no access to cars. It is also about the people who have access to cars doing some of their journeys on the buses when they’ve not used buses for 10 years or more.
“If you give it a go, you’ll find it is a lot different from how you remember.”
The Bee Network comes to Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and North Manchester in early 2024 and Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and South Manchester at the end of 2024.
There is the intention to add some trains into the network by the end of the decade and to improve the infrastructure for walking, wheeling and cycling in the meantime.
This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.
Source – INDIA TV
