1. Introduction
The Free School Group Travel Scheme (the “Scheme”) is operated by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and funded by a sponsorship from Aviva Central Services UK Limited.
The Scheme provides free travel for eligible school groups on the Bee Network to support educational, cultural, sporting and enrichment activities.
Participation in the Scheme constitutes acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.
For the purposes of the Scheme and these terms and conditions, the following terms shall have the corresponding meanings:
Adult a responsible member of staff of the School, or another responsible person authorised by the School, who is aged 18 or over and accompanies and supervises the School Group during the approved journey.
Child is a pupil aged between 4 and 16 inclusive who is enrolled at the applying School, is in Year 11 or below and is travelling as part of an approved School Group (the term “Children” shall be construed accordingly)
Metrolink Conditions of Carriage means the conditions of carriage applying to passengers travelling on the Metrolink network, as published and amended by TfGM from time to time.
School a school or other education provider which:
(a) is based in Greater Manchester;
(b) is officially open and operating during the traditional school day;
(c) is registered with Ofsted;
(d) follows the National Curriculum or a substantially similar educational programme; and
(e) otherwise satisfies the eligibility requirements set out in these Terms,
and whose application to participate in the Scheme is submitted by a person authorised to act on its behalf.
School Group means the group of Children and accompanying Adults identified in an application submitted by a School and approved by TfGM for travel under the Scheme.
Scheme the Free School Group Travel Scheme operated by TfGM and funded through sponsorship provided by Aviva Central Services UK Limited, under which eligible School Groups may receive free travel on the Metrolink network in accordance with these Terms.
Terms these Free School Group Travel Scheme Terms and Conditions, as amended by TfGM from time to time.
TfGM means Transport for Greater Manchester.
Travel Authority means the written booking confirmation, ticket or other travel authorisation issued by or on behalf of TfGM which permits the School Group identified in it to undertake the approved journey under the Scheme, subject to these Terms.
Working Day any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday in England.
2. Scope of the Scheme
The Scheme provides free travel for school groups across services across the Metrolink tram network.
The Scheme is available from 11th September 2026 until 31 August 2027, unless suspended or ended earlier in accordance with these Terms. Approval of a journey taking place after that date will not be valid unless TfGM confirms otherwise in writing.
All travel is fully funded by the Sponsor, with no cost to schools, pupils or staff.
3. Eligibility
Participation is open to eligible schools and education providers that meet the below criteria, including delivering recognised educational programmes.
Any school who meets the following criteria are eligible for the scheme;
- Based in Greater Manchester
- Officially open and operating for the duration of the traditional school day (08:30 – 15:30)
- Registered with Ofsted
- Following the National Curriculum or a substantially similar programme
- State, independent SEN and academy schools can apply to join the scheme.
The person submitting an application confirms that they are aged 18 or over, are authorised to act on behalf of the applying School and have authority to accept these Terms on the School's behalf. The School is responsible for the accuracy of the application and for compliance with these Terms by its staff, accompanying Adults and School Group.
4. Permitted Trips
Trips must support educational, cultural, sporting or enrichment purposes. Recreational-only trips may not be approved (eg. theme parks) You will need to provide the purpose of your trip when booking and TfGM may request supporting information to confirm eligibility.
Trips must be within Greater Manchester on the Metrolink network only, and not on any other public transport, such as rail or bus.
Schools are permitted to book two trips per child per term.
5. Booking Process
Schools must submit applications with trip details including:
- Full name, address and postcode of the educational establishment
- Name and full contact details (including email address) of the main booker
- Date of travel
- Destination
- Number of pupils and adults
- Any accessibility requirements- Schools should identify known accessibility requirements in the application and provide sufficient information for TfGM to consider any reasonable operational arrangements. TfGM cannot guarantee that every requested arrangement will be available, particularly during disruption, but will consider reasonable adjustments in accordance with applicable law. Schools remain responsible for arranging any personal care or individual support required by members of the School Group.
Bookings can only be made via an online form which can be found on the Bee Network website.
On receipt of the application TfGM:
- Will approve or reject applications within 7 working days
- TfGM will issue via email:
- Confirmation
- Travel instructions
- A pdf version of your ticket for your groups travel on the day. If your group is travelling across a few smaller groups please ensure each adult has a copy of the ticket.
Submitting an application does not guarantee approval, please do not travel without written confirmation to your school group.
Any booking confirmation or ticket issued under the Scheme is valid only for the School Group, journey date, route, travel times and passenger numbers stated in it. It must not be transferred, sold, copied for use by another group or used for any other journey.
An accompanying Adult must retain a copy throughout the journey and produce it when requested by TfGM, the operator or any authorised member of staff. The Travel Authority has no cash value and cannot be exchanged, refunded or used in conjunction with another concession or offer.
6. Booking Windows
Applications must be made:
- Minimum 7 days in advance
- Maximum 3 months in advance
7. Group Size and Supervision
The minimum group size is 10 Children. The maximum group size is 100 passengers, including accompanying Adults. A School wishing to travel with a larger group must contact TfGM before applying. TfGM may approve a larger group subject to operational capacity and any additional travel arrangements specified by TfGM.
A School may ordinarily make no more than two bookings per class or year group in each school term, unless TfGM agrees otherwise.
Schools must provide appropriate supervision and ensure all pupils are under their responsibility.
- Appropriate supervision ratios (indicative guidance):
- 1 adult per 10 children (or stricter for younger/SEN groups)
- All pupils are enrolled with the applying school
Groups must:
- Travel together with their adult supervisor
- Follow TfGM staff instructions at all times
8. Travel Times
Travel must be after 0930 on a weekday or any time on a weekend.
9. Use of Approval
Schools must:
- Travel only:
- On approved date
- On approved route
- Within permitted times
Failure to comply may result in:
- Refusal of travel
- Removal from the Scheme
10. Scheme Limits
-
Trips and usage may be capped based on:
-
Available funding
-
Network capacity
-
TfGM reserves the right to:
-
Adjust approvals
-
Manage demand
11. Responsibilities
The School remains responsible at all times for:
- safeguarding and supervising every Child;
- determining and maintaining an appropriate adult-to-child ratio, taking account of the age, needs and circumstances of the group;
- carrying out all required risk assessments and obtaining any consents required for the trip;
- ensuring that an accompanying Adult knows the number of Children and Adults travelling; and
- ensuring that no Child is left unattended on a tram, platform or other part of the network.
12. Service Availability
Approval under the Scheme permits the School Group to travel but does not reserve seats, a particular tram, exclusive use of any part of a tram or guaranteed boarding. The School Group may be required to wait for a later service, divide into smaller supervised groups or follow other reasonable operational instructions.
We strongly recommend checking Metrolink information on the website or app at regular points before your trip.
13. Behaviour and Compliance
TfGM may reject an application, cancel an approval, refuse travel or exclude a School from future participation where TfGM reasonably believes that:
- information supplied is materially inaccurate or misleading;
- the booking is not for an eligible School Group or permitted trip;
- a Travel Authority has been transferred, sold, duplicated or altered;
- the Scheme is being used to obtain travel for an ineligible person or journey; or
- the School has committed a material or repeated breach of these Terms.
Travel under the Scheme is also subject to the Metrolink Conditions of Carriage in force on the date of travel. If there is any inconsistency between these Terms and the Metrolink Conditions of Carriage, these Terms prevail in relation to eligibility, booking and use of the Scheme, and the Metrolink Conditions of Carriage prevail in relation to travel, passenger conduct, safety and operation of the Metrolink network.
14. Changes and cancellation by the School
The School must notify TfGM as soon as reasonably practicable if the journey is cancelled or if any material booking detail changes, including the date, route, destination or number of passengers.
A change is not approved unless TfGM confirms it in writing. TfGM may require the School to submit a new application. An approval cannot be used on a different date or route merely because the original journey was cancelled or disrupted.
15. Communications and Branding
The Scheme is financially supported by Aviva and sponsor branding may appear in:
- Scheme materials
- Communications
- Marketing activity
16. Data and Reporting
TfGM will collect data for administration and to provide reports on scheme usage. An opt-in will be clearly designated when the school applies for the free travel, in compliance with current UK data protections laws (being all applicable data protection and privacy legislation in force from time to time in the UK).
17. Data Protection
TfGM will process personal data submitted in connection with the Scheme for the purposes of assessing applications, administering approved travel, communicating with Schools, preventing misuse, maintaining Scheme records and evaluating and reporting on the operation of the Scheme.
TfGM shall only processes personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws and the TfGM Privacy Policy. The privacy information presented with the application form will explain the categories of information collected, the applicable lawful basis, retention arrangements, recipients and data subject rights.
Schools must only provide personal data that is reasonably necessary for an application. Schools should not provide pupils' names, medical information or other special category personal data unless TfGM specifically requests that information and it is necessary to address an accessibility or other operational requirement.
TfGM shall not share any personal data with may provide Aviva Central Services UK Limited but may provide anonymised and aggregated information concerning use and evaluation of the Scheme. TfGM will not provide Aviva with personal data relating to participating Children, accompanying Adults or other individuals unless permitted by required to by law or any legal authority and would be subject to appropriate written arrangements implementation of an appropriate data sharing agreement.
Any optional marketing communications, case-study participation or research survey will be identified separately from the application process. A decision not to participate in optional marketing or research will not affect eligibility for the Scheme
18. Changes to Scheme
TfGM may refuse an application, withdraw or amend an approval, suspend the Scheme or end the Scheme where reasonably necessary because of operational or safety requirements, network capacity, disruption, misuse of the Scheme, exhaustion or unavailability of funding, or circumstances outside TfGM's reasonable control.
Where reasonably practicable, TfGM will notify the School using the contact details supplied with the application. TfGM will not be responsible for alternative travel costs incurred by the School except to the extent that liability cannot lawfully be excluded.
19. Liability
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability which cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.
Subject to the preceding paragraph, TfGM is not responsible for losses arising solely from service disruption, lack of capacity, delay, the School's failure to comply with these Terms or the acts or omissions of members of the School Group. The School is responsible for making any necessary contingency arrangements for its trip.
20. Governing law and severability
These Terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales will have jurisdiction in relation to any dispute arising from them.
If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in effect.