Key questions have been put forward about how the much-trailed Bee Network will affect Bolton’s bus services.

The proposed network is one of the biggest public transport shake ups Greater Manchester has seen in recent years and will see buses brought back under control from September.

The event held on Wednesday allowed Bolton councillors to put their questions to Transport for Greater Manchester about how the scheme will work in practice.

Cllr Sean Fielding, who represents Breightmet, said: “There was no definitive answer on when changes can be made to the network, which was disappointing, just that they had to collect data.

“I did say that there is a case for the services that Diamond cut the frequency of going back to every 10 minutes because they were cut due to them losing the contract, not because they weren’t viable.”

The Bolton News: The Bee Network will come into effect across Greater Manchester from SeptemberThe Bee Network will come into effect across Greater Manchester from September (Image: Newsquest)

He has also said he is interested in finding out how soon services that have been cut like the 536 Bolton/Darcy Lever Bradley Fold circular can be reinstated.

The Bee Network has already stated an ambition for a “turn up and go” frequency of buses on major routes every 10 minutes but as yet further details have not been released on how soon passengers can expect to see this brought in after September.

It also hopes to bring in simpler and lower flat fees, which will mean single journeys will cost £2 for adults and £1 for children, while a day of unlimited travel using any bus costs £5 for adults and £2.50 for children.

A week of unlimited travel by bus in Greater Manchester costs £21 for adults and £10.50 for children.

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But Cllr Fielding has said that he hopes to find out more about how this will work in the longer term.

He said: “The £2 flat fare is great and has led to passenger growth, though the driver having to issue a ticket to every passenger causes delays, particularly at busy stops.

“When short of time drivers sometimes just wave passengers on without accounting for them and this impacts patronage data.

“When will tap-on tap-off be introduced for passengers paying by card?”