Tyneside bus services ready for huge shake up

Mar 19 2010 by Amy Hunt, The Journal

BUS services on Tyneside are earmarked for the biggest shake-up since deregulation as part of a scheme to get more people to use public transport.

The network of subsidised bus routes operating in Tyne and Wear has been re-drawn by Nexus in an effort to fill in gaps and provide vital links between people’s homes, shops, workplaces and services like hospitals.

Now the public transport authority wants to know what people living in the area think about the plans and whether they will make it easier for them to travel where they want and when.

About 90% of Tyne and Wear’s buses are run by commercial operators such as Stagecoach, Go North East and Arriva.

But for about 10% of the network Nexus pays subsidies to these firms to run what would be loss-making services but which are vital to local communities.

As part of its three-year Bus Strategy, Nexus bosses are now looking again at the subsidised routes and re-planning the network.

They have drawn up maps showing where bus routes could be brought in, diverted or scrapped.

The aim is to make bus travel more attractive for the good of the environment and people who live on Tyneside.

Improving links to shops, hospitals, health centres and places where people work, from neighbourhoods which have little or no access to public transport, is high on the agenda.

Sunday and evening services are also being looked at.

The ultimate aim is to make it possible for people to travel from their homes to these services in less than 30 minutes.

As part of the shake-up the LinkUp service, which people can order like a taxi, will be scrapped. Instead cash will be spent on what Nexus says are more “cost-effective” fixed routes which will benefit more people.

Nexus is asking passengers, business bosses and public organisations to give their views on the changes to the network it has drawn up.

Tobyn Hughes, director of strategy at Nexus, said: “We want to hear from people whether they rely on the bus in daily life, use buses only occasionally or even if they don’t – but might consider doing so in future if services were reorganised.