THE MAYOR of Greater Manchester has pledged to improve bus services.

Andy Burnham said reform was "essential" as bus use continues to decline.

The plans form part of the Mayor’s budget proposals, alongside the new 16-18 year old bus pass, which would mean homeowners paying an additional £7 a year for band D properties.

Contributions towards the fire service and other mayoral costs will be frozen.

Leaders will consider the proposed budget at a meeting of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority on Friday.

Mr Burnham said: “Bus reform is essential for the future success of Greater Manchester as the current system simply isn’t working. The current bus system is driven by the needs of operators rather than what the travelling public needs.

“This must change and these plans are a vital step in our overall vision for a bus network that works for everyone.

“The average cost of this for Greater Manchester households will be £7 over the course of a year, or just 58p per month.”

He added: “More than a quarter of young people aged between 16 and 18 use buses as their primary means of transport – but these numbers are declining more quickly than the rest of Greater Manchester’s bus users. We want to reverse this - the Opportunity Pass will encourage more young people than ever before to use the bus.

“Surveys show that the costs of travel can be prohibitive for young people travelling to college, to apprenticeships or training so this pass will help us reduce the numbers of young people not in education, employment or training. This benefits not just young people themselves, but also wider society.

“And by getting young people into the good habit of using the bus, we’re demonstrating to the next generation of workers that the best way to get around Greater Manchester is by public transport, which will ultimately reduce congestion on our roads.”

The Mayor is also responsible for setting the police precept, which is the part of council tax that partially funds policing. Those proposals are currently subject to public consultation and will be considered by the Police and Crime Panel.

Following this week’s GMCA meeting the final draft budget will be presented to a special meeting of GMCA on 15 February 2019.