Greater Manchester’s Bee Network buses are not hitting punctuality targets, analysis of data has shown. In May, The Bolton News analysed data for tranche 1 of Bee Network services which showed a daily average punctuality of 74.6 per cent – with the system only hitting its punctuality target on 32 of 105 days.
The Bee Network aims for 80 per cent of buses to arrive between one minute early and five minutes’ late to be considered "on time". Now, fresh analysis of all Bee Network services – including those in Bury, Rochdale, and Oldham – has shown that the buses are still not hitting their targets, though things are much improved from before the network began . Between May 5 and September 7, the Bee Network hit its target of 80 per cent punctuality on 51 out of 126 days – meaning the target was missed on 75 days.
People can be left waiting at bus stops - with the 80 per cent punctuality target missed on 75 out of 126 days (Image: Jack Fifield, Newsquest) However, looking at data from before the Bee Network was put in place, this is a massive increase – with buses reaching 80 per cent punctuality on no days at all in the 126 same consecutive days last year. The same goes for non-Bee Network bus services in the parts of Greater Manchester yet to join the network this year, with the target not reached on any days between May 5 and September 7. The data also appears to show a clear "school holiday" effect – average daily punctuality of Bee Network services during the.