Bold new plans to expand the Bee Network, transform travel for elderly and disabled people, and fix Greater Manchester’s roads has been announced today.
Speaking at the launch of her campaign ‘battle bus’ in Stockport today, Labour’s candidate for Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig unveiled a raft of new policies to improve people’s journeys and put money back in people’s pockets.
At a campaign stop at Burnage Rugby Football Club this morning, Bev Craig revealed fully-costed plans to:
- Expand the Bee Network – creating new bus routes across the network and backing the next phase of Metrolink tram expansion to Stockport
- Bring trains into the network – to create seamless travel for passengers by extending the ‘tap in and out’ scheme to pay for travel
- Freeze fares – extend the £2 cap on the Bee Network until 2027
- Widen cheap and cost-free travel – building on her announcement last week to give every 11 to 18-year-old a free bus pass, Bev will extend free passes to elderly and disabled passengers, meaning a family with two children going to secondary school will save £20 per week
- Fix our roads – through a dedicated fund to tackle troublesome potholes across the region, and save motorists’ money by preventing damage to their vehicles.
The announcements build on the work of former Mayor Andy Burnham. Further detail and costings behind the schemes are set to be included in Labour’s upcoming mayoral manifesto launch.
Bev Craig, Labour’s candidate for Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:
“Whether you live in Bolton or Burnage, I’ve set myself a test: If I’m elected as your Mayor, every decision I take will be guided by whether it makes you better off.
“By widening access to buses, trams and trains, keeping fares low, and tackling motorists’ pothole pet peeve – we can keep more of families’ hard-earned money in their pockets.
“After years working side-by-side with Andy Burnham, I want to build on Greater Manchester’s success story and continue to deliver for the whole of the city-region.”
