THE MAYOR of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, reasserted his long-held pledged to improve the city-region’s bus network, including free bus travel for 16 to 18-year olds.

More than three quarters of public transport journeys in Greater Manchester are made by bus, making it the backbone of the network.

But while demand for transport is going up, overall bus use is declining.

In Greater Manchester, there are now more than 32 million fewer journeys by bus than 10 years ago.

Mr Burnham says that with Greater Manchester’s population set to grow to more than three million by 2040, an effective bus network is more important than ever to connect people with jobs, housing, education, healthcare, shops, family and friends.

Instead of a decline in bus use, Mr Burnham wants to see millions more journeys, with lower fares and smarter, integrated ticketing.

The new Opportunity Pass for 16 to 18-year-olds is central to this ambition. It is being brought in to halt a decline in bus use by young people and stimulate an increase in patronage.

Removing barriers to transport will help young people access education, employment, training and socialising which, in turn, supports the future prosperity of Greater Manchester.

The plans form part of the Mayor’s budget proposals.

He is responsible for setting the budget for the fire service and other mayoral functions, which local people contribute to through a part of their council tax bills called the mayoral “precept”.

At an additional cost of £9 per year for Band D properties - and £7 for the Greater Manchester average Band B household - the Mayor believes the contribution will make a huge difference by encouraging the next generation to use public transport.

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 (January 25).

He 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.”

Central to the proposals is a new Opportunity Pass for 16 to 18-year-olds. This pass will provide free bus travel across the network for young people, as well as access to leisure and cultural facilities across the Greater Manchester at a free or reduced rate.

The Mayor 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.”