People travelling across Salford and Greater Manchester by bus or tram can report crime and anti-social behaviour through a new app feature.
The Bee Network app has introduced a live chat option which allows users to discreetly report incidents which make them feel unsafe to trained police.
TravelSafe Livechat has been launched by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in partnership with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) to provide passengers with a new and improved digital reporting tool to keep passengers and staff safe across the region’s public transport network.
According to the latest figures published by the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Panel, the overall annual rate of criminal incidents reported across Salford and Greater Manchester’s transport system had risen by more than 12% between April 2024 and March 2025.
During the same period, the rate of reported incidents solely on the bus routes climbed by 26%, which police say can be attributed to an increase in frontline staff patrolling the network.
The live chat, which was rolled out earlier this week, has already alerted police to a possible knife offender travelling by bus and allowed for a necessary welfare check to be carried out on a teenage girl, police said.
They highlighted that the incidents were reported covertly and were quickly addressed by the GMP and TfGM, without drawing attention to the complainant.
Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes said: “We’re proud to introduce the new TravelSafe LiveChat feature, which allows passengers to confidently and privately report crime, antisocial behaviour, or situations that make passengers feel uncomfortable while using public transport directly from their mobile phones.
“Every report is handled by a real person at GMP, ensuring swift and compassionate responses. Specially trained staff will use an extensive camera network to monitor incidents and coordinate the most appropriate response to take action and reassure passengers.
“This initiative strengthens our commitment to safer journeys and builds on the foundation of existing teams dedicated to traffic and transport-related issues. Through more integrated ways of working between GMP and TfGM, we’re able to deliver more real-time and effective responses.”
With over half a million Bee Network app users now connected to GMP’s control room, Kate Green, TfGM’s TravelSafe Partnership Manager, highlighted the need to provide a clear way of reporting incidents of crime taking place across the network that is easily accessible.
She said: “Ensuring the safety of everyone who works or travels on the Bee Network is our number one priority, and TravelSafe LiveChat represents a real step change in how we reinforce our zero-tolerance policy towards any criminal or antisocial behaviour on public transport.
“The service enables both GMP and TfGM to swiftly respond to reports discreetly made by passengers, allowing us to monitor a situation from our control rooms and, within minutes, co-ordinate the most appropriate response, whether that’s notifying nearby security staff, deploying more officers to an incident, or making announcements to reassure passengers.
“While TravelSafe LiveChat has only been live for a short time, we are already seeing the benefits of TfGM and GMP taking a more integrated approach to tackling crime and antisocial activity on the Bee Network, and we remain committed to making public transport safer for everyone.”
The introduction of the regionalised Bee Network transport system has been the flagship policy of Greater manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s.
He said: “With this pioneering, first-of-its-kind approach we are demonstrating once again that the safety of everyone who travels or works on the Bee Network is our number one priority.
“We take a zero-tolerance approach to criminal and antisocial activity on our buses, trams, and at our stations, stops and interchanges, and when someone contacts the new TravelSafe LiveChat, they’ll always be speaking to a real person who can provide specialist support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“This is a critical first phase of a new, integrated approach to policing public transport which will provide a more visible presence out on the Bee Network, to reassure the travelling public that we will act swiftly to deter and tackle these behaviours head on.”
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