Our Approach to Equality

Our Statutory Duty

Public bodies like TfGM have a legal duty to promote fairness, tackle discrimination, and make sure services work for everyone. This duty is set out in the Equality Act 2010 which protects people from unfair treatment based on nine protected characteristics:

• Age
• Gender reassignment
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Religion or belief
• Disability
• Marriage and civil partnership
• Race
• Sex
• Sexual orientation

Under the Public Sector Equality Duty, we must actively consider how our decisions, policies, and services affect people from these groups. That means thinking about equality from the start – not as an add-on – and making sure we’re eliminating discrimination, advancing opportunity, and fostering good relations between communities.

At TfGM, we’ve gone further by adopting the Socio-Economic Duty, not currently a legal requirement in England. This duty recognises that poverty and economic disadvantage can create serious barriers to accessing transport, employment, and public services.

We also have a legal duty to publish our equality objectives every four years.

Equality Objectives

Our equality objectives sit alongside our Greater Manchester Strategy pledges for developing the Bee Network as a transport system for a global city region.

Our current equalities objectives are set out below:

• Develop a Bee Network multimodal period ticket, including rail, offering affordable access to multi-modal journeys.
• Deliver Bee Network Rail Integration station improvements across 22 stations on the first two Bee Network lines by the end of 2026, including enhanced signage and wayfinding, information screens, help points, CCTV and Bee Network branding, alongside progressing Access for All accessibility schemes at Bryn, Hindley and Reddish North, with Swinton to follow.
• Develop and publish a Bus Accessibility Plan to support ongoing improvements to accessibility and inclusion across the Bee Network
• Publish the TravelSafe Strategy and action plan, setting out activity to improve safety for women, disabled communities, LGBTQ+ and ethnic minority communities.
• Work with operators to undertake targeted, data-led recruitment activity to ensure a diverse workforce across Bee Network bus operators, using workforce and local demographic data to identify and address underrepresentation.
• Ensure the Neighbourhood Transport model is accessible and inclusive by building on co-design with disabled and older people, embedding lived experience evidence into the final design, and undertaking consultation where required to inform decision-making.

Accessible Transport Charter

As part of our commitment to inclusive and accessible transport through the Bee Network, Greater Manchester signed up to the national Accessible Transport Charter.

The Charter aims to:

• Give disabled people a stronger voice in the governance and delivery of transport services to ensure transport delivers for everyone.
• Eliminate barriers to travel by vehicle, on foot or by wheel.
• Protect key services such as community transport services that many rely on to travel to schools, workplaces and shops, entertainment and other amenities.

Our Disability Design Reference Group (DDRG) also plays a key role in supporting inclusive and accessible transport. DDRG is our advisory group made up of individuals with a range of different disabilities who provide advice based on their personal experience of traveling on the Bee Network. They work collaboratively with us in designing an integrated, accessible public and active travel network.

Understanding Impacts

We use Equality Impact Assessments to understand how transport policies, projects and services may affect different groups of people, helping to identify where changes are needed to remove barriers, reduce negative impacts and improve access.

We take an intersectional approach, recognising that people’s experiences of transport are shaped by multiple factors, including disability, age, gender, income and caring responsibilities. Understanding how these factors combine helps us design transport that works better in practice and supports more equal outcomes.

Lived experience and co-design are central to our approach. We work with individuals, communities and organisations across Greater Manchester to bring real-world insight into transport planning and delivery, including through established groups such as the Disability Design Reference Group and wider community and voluntary sector partners. This helps ensure transport reflects everyday experiences rather than assumptions. As a White Ribbon accredited organisation, we also work with partners to support action that helps make the Bee Network safer and more inclusive, particularly for women and girls.

We are committed to meaningful and inclusive engagement. This means making it easier for people to take part and recognising that contributing time and expertise can present barriers. Where possible, we provide allowances so people are not financially disadvantaged by taking part.

Our Role as an Employer

Latest gender pay gap reporting for TfGM can be found here.

At Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), equality, diversity and inclusion are fundamental to how we operate as an employer. We are committed to creating a workplace where every colleague can thrive and are empowered to work confidently, use their strengths and make meaningful improvements to the services we deliver for the people of Greater Manchester.

Our approach is rooted in fairness, transparency and equal opportunity, supporting the aims set out in the Greater Manchester Strategy. We are building an inclusive and equitable organisation with a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve, recognising that this strengthens both our culture and our impact. We respect and celebrate difference and work proactively to remove barriers so that all colleagues feel supported, valued and able to reach their full potential.

We continue to create opportunities through targeted recruitment, development and learning, supported by strong data, inclusive leadership, and active colleague networks aligned with the GM People Inclusion Standards. We also maintain a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination, ensuring a safe and respectful working environment for everyone.

By fostering inclusion and belonging, we aim to create a culture where everyone feels they truly belong and can succeed.

Reporting against our previous inclusion and equalities objectives can be accessed here.