Since 2019, Synvert TCM has proudly partnered with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) to support the data ambitions of the UK’s most extensive light rail network. 

In 2022, TfGM broke new ground with the first major public sector bus franchising operation since 1985. Under the leadership of Mayor Andy Burnham, bus franchising is being introduced gradually from 2023 to 2025, enabling 15 million journeys each month across 14,000 bus stops. 

• Initially, the data warehouse managed tram network sales, journeys, and contactless taps. 
• We then supported the Bus Franchising project in expanding this data warehouse to support multiple types of transport, entering a multi-modal phase. 
• Next, we added data pipelines to incorporate bus-specific data, such as bus stop locations, journey details, and service numbers. 
• The Bus Franchising initiative was rolled out in three stages, each covering various parts of the city region under the Bee Network phase. 
• Additional phases included mobile app data, contactless pay-as-you-go for bus journeys, multi-modal PAYG, inspection, and enforcement actions. 

Throughout the project, best practices were proven in areas like PII, data governance, data quality, and security in collaboration with TfGM project teams and DPIA. This process future-proofed the system for the addition of train and other transport data. Every bus or tram journey, ticket sale, and contactless tap in Greater Manchester is tracked. 

The city’s expanding transport network needs a flexible, well-governed analytics capability with data integrated daily for up-to-date 9 a.m. reports. There were also no unplanned P1 and P2 platform issues since the launch.