Travel to / from school
Bus Service & Rail Ticket Information
Our School Bus Service is operated though Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).
It is important that families plan ahead for how children will get to and from school and check the latest travel advice. You should also apply for any tickets or passes you may need ahead of the school year.
Please consider whether your child can walk or cycle to school – it can be a safe and healthy way for students to make shorter trips. New cycling and walking routes have been put in place across the region as part of the #SafeStreetsSaveLives project to make it safer and easier than ever to get about on foot or by bike.
If you have to drive your child to school and/or pick them up, please switch off your engine when waiting outside to reduce air pollution and consider parking further away and walking the last part of your journey.
When travelling to school your child should check timetables in advance, allow extra time for their journeys in case their first service is full and be patient with other passengers.
Apply for an igo card
Children aged 11-16 must have an igo card to travel using a child ticket on buses and trams in Greater Manchester. Apply for igo on the TfGM website.
An igo card can also be used as proof of age for travelling by tram with a child ticket. You will need proof of age ID from age 11 on Metrolink.
For the latest information on timetables, tickets, school bus services and further advice on cycling and walking, visit TfGM’s CHHS page.
If children need to use both Stagecoach and Bullock’s school services, they need to buy TfGM’s weekly school ticket costing £7.60 or a TfGM school return ticket costing £2.00. Both tickets are available from the driver.
Operator-own tickets are ONLY valid on that operator’s services. Alternatively, if children also use buses outside of school times, they may want to buy a System One ticket which is valid on all operators’ services. The weekly ticket costs £10.50 and the day ticket costs £2.50. You can find full details on the System One Travel website.
Changes to Bee Network – tap & go
From 23 March 2025, tap and go contactless payments are being introduced across Bee Network buses and trams for full fare paying adults only.
Child tickets are not available using tap and go. Children can continue to use their current method of payment for travelling to school or leisure (e.g. cash, contactless).
At the same time, TfGM are making it even easier to pay for child tickets on the Bee Network app.
Single child hopper tickets will be available on the app, alongside a range of other child tickets. It’s the safe, cash-free way to pay for travel.
Bee Network’s top tips for paying for child fares from 23rd March 2025:
- Download the Bee Network app to pay for a range of child tickets.
- When paying with contactless always ask the bus driver for a child ticket before tapping your card (to avoid getting charged adult fare).
- Keep your TfGM travel pass (igo card, Our Pass) separate from bank cards when you tap the card reader, to avoid your bank card being charged an adult fare.
If you have any further questions or want to speak to someone, please get in touch with the Bee Network Contact Centre online.