Overview
North East Bus Reform
Buses are by far the most used form of public transport, with 106 million journeys taken by bus in the North East in 2022/23.
Despite that, bus patronage is dropping and customers are concerned about reliability.
Bus operators decide on the bus routes, timetables, fares and standards, which sometimes don’t meet the requirements of customers. Nexus fund a small amount of bus services in areas where there is a customer requirement, but the route isn’t commercially viable for private operators. These are called secured services.
In May 2024, Kim McGuinness was elected as the first North East Mayor – with a plan to bring buses back into public control.
Current position
Looking at our options
The North East Mayoral Strategic Authority has developed a Bus Reform Options Report which looks at the current situation, why it needs to change and what the options are to do that.
Bus reform is a long term project, and a Franchise Scheme Assessment is being prepared by the Mayor’s office. A budget of £8.5m has been allocated for that to cover staffing, consultancy support, legal support, audit, and consultation.
Depending on the assessment findings, it could be 2028 when the first franchised buses enter operation.
In the meantime, we’re still focused on delivering our ambitious plans for buses, via the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). The region was allocated £163.5m in BSIP funding for a three-year period, and work has included introducing simpler and cheaper fares, improvements to bus infrastructure and campaigns to encourage bus usage.