If you’re a Londoner, it’s very likely that you will have been left baffled by the transport systems of other UK cities: your Oyster card is redundant, there are majestic vehicles known as ‘trams’, and buses and trains aren’t linked via one smooth payment system.
Well, travelling around Manchester in particular might soon feel a tiny bit more familiar, as the city is due to get a super-connected transport system like London.
Passengers across Greater Manchester will be able to tap in and tap out of different modes of transport thanks to a new deal with the government which was announced yesterday. The goal is to have all the city’s buses, trams and trains linked up by 2030.
It will include ‘ticketing integration’ on the public transport system, while the Bee Network branding which is already on the city’s trams and buses will also be seen on the railways.
The agreement is the latest in a line of devolution deals for the area, meaning that more transport decisions will be made by local politicians. Mayor Andy Burnham will have full control over local spending through a single budget over several years rather than having to bid for pots of cash.
Burnham said that the new system ‘will mean that public transport becomes a much more attractive and affordable option for lots of people who commute into Greater Manchester’.
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