All-day Manchester Metrolink paper ticket held beside a tram stop ticket machine and network map in central Manchester.

A yellow Manchester Metrolink all-day travelcard is held beside a tram-stop ticket machine and network map in central Manchester, illustrating how passengers bought paper tickets before today's Bee Network contactless system became the dominant way to pay. The ticket shown was purchased at St Peter's Square and is valid for unlimited off-peak tram travel, while the machine behind displays the Metrolink network and fare zones. Manchester Metrolink is Greater Manchester's light-rail system and now forms a central part of the Bee Network, the region's integrated public transport network covering buses, trams, active travel and, increasingly, local rail. Metrolink uses four fare zones, with Zone 1 covering Manchester city centre and outer zones extending across Greater Manchester. Paper tickets can still be bought from machines at tram stops, but full-fare adults are encouraged to use contactless bank cards, phones or other devices, touching in before boarding and touching out at the end so the system calculates the appropriate fare up to daily and weekly caps. In 2026 the Bee Network is being expanded further: from December the first local rail lines to Glossop and Stalybridge are planned to join, with contactless tap-in tap-out introduced at 17 railway stations and a new prepaid paper ticket covering bus, tram and train. The photograph therefore provides a useful historic comparison between traditional yellow Metrolink ticketing and Greater Manchester's move towards a unified, digitally integrated transport system. Relevant subjects include Manchester tram tickets, Metrolink travelcard, ticket machine, tram map, public transport fares, fare zones, St Peter's Square, city-centre travel, Bee Network, Transport for Greater Manchester, TfGM, contactless ticketing, integrated transport, light rail, tram travel, passenger information, urban mobility and Greater Manchester transport history. It shows cash and card ticket sales, proof of payment and UK tram tourism.