What are Service Permits?
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), on behalf of the Mayor of Greater Manchester and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), is changing the way buses are run in Greater Manchester. Instead of the current ‘deregulated’ system, where local services are provided commercially by bus operators who decide which routes and timetables to provide, between September 2023 and January 2025 most buses services in Greater Manchester will start to be run under a system called bus franchising. Under franchising, TfGM on behalf of the GMCA will commission bus services and coordinate the bus network in Greater Manchester.
A small number of existing bus services in Greater Manchester (mostly cross boundary services that run into and out of neighbouring local authority areas) will not form part of the franchised services. Once bus franchising goes live, any current or proposed local bus services that are not part of the franchised network (or are otherwise exempted) will require a Service Permit if they are to operate within Greater Manchester.
A franchising authority must grant a bus operator a Service Permit if they are satisfied that the operator’s proposed service meets the following statutory tests:
- the proposed service will benefit persons making journeys on local services in the area to which the franchising scheme relates; and
- the proposed service will not have an adverse effect on any local service that is provided under a local service (franchised) contract in the area to which the franchising scheme relates.
- However, they must not grant a permit if these requirements are not met.
Franchising authorities are able to attach conditions to service permits, which operators must comply with.
Making a Service Permit Application
You can read our Service Permit policy statement to find out more about the scheme and application process. Read the document here.
To find out more about the proposed conditions/descriptions of conditions, please read the Service Permit Conditions and Descriptions of Conditions Notice. Click here to read the document.
To make an application, download the Service Permit application form here.
Email your completed application form to service.permits@tfgm.com.
For any queries, please email service.permits@tfgm.com.
Outcome of Service Permit Consultation
Prior to establishing the Service Permit Scheme, legislation required that two consultations were carried out to seek views on:
i) the proposed Service Permit process
ii) the proposed conditions/descriptions of conditions that the franchising authority may attach to a service permit
The consultations were carried out in March 2023 and subsequently a report was produced and submitted to the Mayor of Greater Manchester. The report can be accessed here.
The Mayor made a decision on 24th May 2023 to allow TfGM to operate the administration of the service permit scheme and conditions regime.
The Mayoral decision can be accessed here.
All background papers and associated reports can be accessed here.
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Find things to do this summer
Next Stop: Summer
Use our generator to find destinations and days out that you can get to by tram this summer.
-
Find out more and apply
Join our Disability Advisory Group
People with disabilities in Greater Manchester can now apply to join the award-winning group.
-
Find out more about Local Link
Book a trip with Local Link
The reliable minibus service that takes you door to door from £1.
-
Find out more about your yellow buses
Say yellow to your buses
Your Bee Network is arriving from September. But you'll see yellow buses from April.
-
Visit the planned improvement works page
Planned engineering works on Metrolink
There are planned improvement works on Metrolink across selected lines and stops in 2023. You can visit our dedicated webpage to find out how the works affect your journeys around Greater Manchester.
-
Find out more about InPost Parcel Lockers
InPost Parcel Lockers now available
Dropping your online returns and sending parcels couldn’t be simpler whilst you’re on the move