Public ownership of GM buses offers exciting opportunities for walking and wheeling

By Louise Robbins, Strategic Lead for Walking (GM Moving) | 08 January 2025 | TAGS: Walking, Walking Wheeling Cycling

It’s an exciting time in Greater Manchester.

All of the city region’s bus services are now back under public control for the first time in nearly 40 years and this presents a huge moment for our movement for movement.

Everyone has a role to play in creating the conditions for active lives for all, and thanks to the work of GM Mayor Andy Burnham and his team, a big opportunity is available to us in 2025.

We know that there are lots of barriers to physical activity and sport. It’s why GM Moving and our partners work to reduce them, particularly for those who face the most.

The shared GM Moving in Action strategy is here to open up the opportunity of an active life for everyone.

We also know that nearly all journeys by bus, tram, and train have a walking element.

Walking and public transport are inextricably linked so in 2025 we’ll be working harder than ever to ensure that walking, wheeling, and cycling is a core part of the Bee Network offer.

It’s the easiest way to create the conditions for more people to explore their area, discover new places, commute more actively, and for young people to travel to nursery, school, or college under their own steam.

Better yet, it’s already happening.

Early data from Transport for Greater Manchester showed that more people in GM were using the bus; and the more people used the bus, the more they walked (and the less they drove).

The joy is back in the journey!

So, huge congratulations to all those who have worked so hard over recent months and years to create the Bee Network and deliver it so successfully.

We all now have a role to play – health and education settings, local authorities, urban planners, developers, workplaces – to build walking, wheeling, and cycling into our every day.

GM Moving will continue to lead this mission in GM, we have already shared evidence with Parliament, and I look forward to working with partners on it through 2025 and beyond.