Manchester Metrolink hits 50M contactless card journeys

With buses added to the ‘tap-and-go’ network from 23 March, the Bee Network in Greater Manchester has revealed that by then over 50M passenger journeys have been paid for on trams using contactless payment. Tap-and Go was launched on trams in 2019, removing the need for passengers to buy tickets, with fares automatically worked out up to the daily or weekly cap. By 2025, two thirds of people were opting to use phones or watches to pay for their travel rather than bank cards. About 45 000 transactions/day were recorded in 2024. 

 

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said ‘the launch of contactless tap-and-go on Metrolink in 2019 was the foundation on which we have built the Bee Network. It is simple and convenient and as the figures show, the most popular way for people to pay for their travel - and this major milestone could not be timelier. In just a few days we will realise our ambition of a truly-integrated London-style transport network that puts us on an equal footing with other global cities’. 

 

The most contactless tap-and-go journeys on Metrolink trams were made on 14 April 2024, the day of the Manchester marathon, with November 2024 seeing the most journeys in a single month (1.64M). St Peter’s Square is the most popular starting point for tap-and-go journeys.