Air quality across Greater Manchester is getting better thanks to major investments in cleaner, greener public transport.

Newly-released figures show that air pollution dropped again in 2024 in the city region. In 2019, 129 places where air quality is measured had illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide. Having been reduced to 64 in 2023, it fell further in 2024 to 38.

As part of Greater Manchester’s accelerated investment in public transport, the Bee Network is helping reduce air pollution by introducing more low and zero-emission buses.

More than 300 electric buses are now serving communities – ten times more than before the Bee Network took control of bus services. A further £2.5 billion in wider government transport funding will also help Greater Manchester fully electrify its bus fleet by 2030.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is also modernising bus depots to support electric vehicles for the Bee Network. Depots in Bolton, Manchester and Oldham have already been upgraded with charging infrastructure, with Ashton recently becoming the city region’s first fully electric depot. Transformation at Middleton is up next.

It’s all part of Greater Manchester’s wider clean air approach that avoids charging drivers by focusing on investment in cleaner transport instead.

Cllr Eamonn O’Brien, Leader of Bury Council and Clean Air lead for Greater Manchester, said:

“We’ve always been focused on doing what’s right for Greater Manchester, and by accelerating investment in our public transport network, we’re showing that it’s possible to improve air quality faster than if a charging Clean Air Zone had been introduced.

“Investment in the Bee Network is enabling more people to choose cleaner, greener ways to get around – like public transport and walking or cycling – instead of driving.

“As we deliver our Clean Air Plan alongside the Bee Network, with support from the government, we’ll roll out the UK’s first fully integrated, zero-emission public transport system by the end of the decade and improve the air we all breathe for generations to come.”

The next meeting of the Greater Manchester Air Quality Administration Committee on 31 July will provide an update on progress to make the city-region greener, with some key matters to be considered, including:

• Clean Air Plan-funded zero emission buses: The first 20 of a further 40 electric buses, funded by the GM Clean Air Plan agreed with government in January, are already on our roads.
• Supporting the hackney carriage fleet to cleaner vehicles: It is anticipated that an £8 million Hackney Support Fund could open in November 2025, when eligible GM-licensed hackney carriage owners will be able to apply for proposed grants of up to £12,560 to upgrade to cleaner vehicles. This follows the launch of Greater Manchester’s ‘Backing our taxis. Local. Licensed. Trusted.’ campaign in April, which included a review of the approach to licensing and engagement with the taxi trade. A report on the review will also be submitted to the GMCA in autumn.
• Extending the emission standards compliance date: Local authorities are also extending the emission standards compliance date to 31 December 2026, giving all hackney carriage and private hire vehicle license holders more time to upgrade their vehicles, to help with the transition.
• Changes to clean air cameras and signs: The Clean Air Zone ANPR cameras, originally installed to monitor pollution, have been used by police to help crack down on crime. A public consultation in September 2025 will ask residents about transferring camera ownership to Greater Manchester Police, allowing them to use the intelligence to solve serious and violent crimes. Meanwhile, councils have started to take down the Clean Air Zone road signs.
• Traffic management on local roads: Local schemes are being delivered in Manchester and Salford at hotspots where air quality is poor, including signal timings and yellow box junction enforcement.
• Adjustments to the plan: Due to practical challenges and it being a listed building, electrification of the Queens Road bus depot will take longer than originally planned. Instead, GM will be seeking to adjust the agreed plan to include 38 further electric buses running from Bolton depot, and to cover the operational costs of EV charging infrastructure for the free bus services in Manchester city centre, and bus fleet deployment. In addition, the traffic management measures in the St John’s area are also no longer needed, based on the latest air quality modelling and monitoring data.

The government backed non-charging, investment-led Clean Air Plan will help Greater Manchester meet legal limits for nitrogen dioxide on local roads as soon as possible and by 2026 at the latest.

Modelling carried out on behalf of Greater Manchester’s 10 local authorities showed that the city-region can bring air quality within legal limits without the need for and faster than a charging Clean Air Zone.