TfGM and GMCA Responses: Still Dodging Bus Safety Data – 20 Months After Their Own Deadline

On 5 December 2023 (Case 8060113), I received a written assurance from the Mayor of Greater Manchester’s office that Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) would begin publishing Bee Network bus accident and incident data within up to 12 months.

That commitment was clear. It is now August 2025 — 20 months later — and still no such data has been published.

Last week, I wrote again to the Mayor, TfGM, and senior officials demanding answers. In response, I received two replies:

TfGM FOI Ref 818815 – asking me to “clarify the types of incident” I want data on, despite the fact that my original FOI request of May 2019 (reproduced below) already listed this in detail.

GMCA Case 13141048 – a generic acknowledgement treating my letter as if this is the first time I’ve raised the matter.

This is not good enough. Below is the full text of my latest letter, sent on 23 August 2025, to Mayor Burnham, TfGM, and GMCA.

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My Letter – 23 August 2025

Dear Mayor Burnham, TfGM and GMCA,

I am extremely concerned by the responses I have received to my email of 14 August 2025.

On 5 December 2023 (Case 8060113), I was given a clear assurance from your office that TfGM intended to publish Bee Network accident and incident data within 12 months. That commitment was precise and time-bound.

Yet the responses I have just received (TfGM FOI Ref 818815 and GMCA Case 13141048) act as if this is the first time I have raised this matter. TfGM even states that it “needs clarification” about the types of incidents I am requesting — despite the fact that my original FOI request of 3 May 2019 (copied in full in my open letter of October 2023) already provided a detailed list of incident categories:

1. Date of Incident

2. Bus Route

3. Local Name of Operator

4. Operator Group Name (if applicable)

5. Bus Garage/Depot

6. Injury Description (Fatality, Serious/Minor Injury – Taken to Hospital, Minor Treated at Scene)

7. Victim’s Sex

8. Victim’s Age

9. Incident Event Type (Collision, Fall, Assault, Other)

10. Victim Category (Passenger, Pedestrian, Cyclist, 3rd Party Vehicle, Bus Driver, Other)

This list has been in your possession for over 6 years. It is disingenuous for TfGM to now claim it cannot progress my request without “clarification.”

I therefore ask:

1. Why are TfGM and GMCA treating my request as though it is brand new, ignoring the prior correspondence, case references, and published commitments?

2. Why has the promise given in December 2023 (publication within 12 months) still not been honoured, more than 20 months later?

3. When exactly will Bee Network bus safety data — already being collected, as confirmed by TfGM in 2023 — be published for public scrutiny?

The public can access detailed punctuality and reliability statistics for Greater Manchester buses. Yet they remain completely in the dark on safety — even while serious crashes, bridge strikes, and fatalities are reported in the press. This contradiction undermines both transparency and public confidence in the Bee Network.

I request a clear, accountable, and final answer to these questions. Continued delays, contradictions, and procedural deflections are unacceptable.

Yours sincerely,

Lee Odams

(writing in a personal capacity as a private individual)

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Why This Matters

TfGM regularly publishes punctuality and reliability statistics for Bee Network buses, but it has still failed to publish any safety performance data. This means the public knows whether a bus was late, but has no access to how many people have been injured, killed, or involved in collisions.

Meanwhile, Greater Manchester has seen serious bus-related incidents in recent years — including fatalities, bridge strikes, and cases of driver misconduct — all widely reported in the press, but never collated or published by TfGM for public scrutiny.

In 2019, TfGM said it did not hold this data. By 2023, it admitted it did — and promised to publish it. In 2025, that promise remains unfulfilled.

This continued lack of accountability and certainty undermines the Bee Network’s claim to deliver “world class safety standards.”

I am publishing this correspondence here to ensure there is a public record.

— Lee Odams

(writing in a personal capacity as a private individual)