Bee Network officials are addressing complaints about school bus delays. They believe these early issues will soon be resolved for a smoother experience.
Greater Manchester: Bee Network bosses are stepping up to tackle complaints about school bus delays. Parents have been pretty upset about the situation, and they’re not holding back.
Since January 5, all bus services in Greater Manchester have been under Transport for Greater Manchester’s control. This change was part of a big plan that started back in September 2023.
Before the switch, TfGM warned everyone about possible hiccups. They had seen similar issues in other areas before. But the main complaints are coming from parents in Tameside and Stockport.
One mom from Droylsden was really frustrated. She talked about the awful hour-long delays on the 864 bus. She mentioned losing £250 because her partner had to take a day off work to drive their child to school.
Another dad, Aftab Marchant from Heaton Chapel, shared his experience with the 42A bus. He said the app kept saying the bus was just minutes away, but it never showed up. It was a real mess.
On one occasion, he had to pick up his son, and there were a bunch of kids waiting at the stop. He even mentioned how cold his son was when he finally got him. That’s just not okay.
Now, a few weeks later, TfGM’s chief network officer, Danny Vaughan, is hopeful things are getting better. He mentioned that the first week was tough due to the weather, but overall, the transition went well.
Vaughan acknowledged that school services had some issues but believes they’re just teething problems. He said the operator, Metroline, is working on improving driver awareness and scheduling. They’ve even added more buses to help out.
He’s optimistic that the negative stories will soon be behind them. He believes the service is becoming more reliable just over three weeks after the takeover.
