Warning for North East bus passengers that more cuts…

Warning for North East bus passengers that more cuts could be coming after Arriva cull confirmed

Bus passengers have been warned to brace for more timetables to be slashed over the coming months.

After Arriva, one of the North East’s big three bus operators, revealed plans to cut services in several parts of the region this week, there are major concerns that there could soon be more bad news for people who rely on public transport. While the Government recently committed to giving another £140m to bus companies to help “protect essential services across England” until 2025, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands that firms are still waiting to hear exactly how much support they will get from that pot.

That uncertainty and the fact that passenger levels remain below pre-pandemic rates means local leaders are expecting some services to be reduced or cancelled entirely, having previously feared that up to 20% of the North East’s remaining bus network could be axed. It emerged earlier this week that six Arriva routes running between Newcastle, North Tyneside, and south east Northumberland are at risk of being culled, having been deemed unsustainable following the closure of the operator’s Jesmond depot last year.

Arriva services around Durham, Darlington and the Tees Valley have also been put under threat, something the firm has blamed on a funding dispute with Durham County Council and the Tees Valley Combined Authority. Asked if it was expecting more cuts to be announced, Tyne and Wear Metro operator Nexus bosses told the LDRS that they are “concerned”.

As well as the Metro and the Shields Ferry, the publicly-owned Nexus also runs a number of bus services around the area that have been deemed commercially unviable. Customer services director at Nexus, Huw Lewis, said: “The decision by Arriva to cut services in North Tyneside and Newcastle is, as far as we understand, a consequence of it closing its depot in Jesmond last year and is unrelated to the company’s plans in Durham and Tees Valley.

“Local bus companies are still to find out how much ongoing Government financial support they will get as the industry continues to rebuild from the pandemic. Because of this we do remain concerned there could be further cuts to bus services by regional bus operators in the coming months.”

Gateshead Council leader Martin Gannon added that he was “deeply concerned that widespread cuts to bus services are on the horizon”. He said: “We will continue to work closely with operators, Nexus and the councils involved to limit the damage here and save as many services as possible but I remain concerned that this is only the beginning. The Government needs to get a grip of the funding situation for public transport without delay before our communities pay the price and lose their vital services.”

The six routes at risk in the North Tyneside area are:

51 Newcastle – Holystone – Whitley Bay
52 Newcastle – Killingworth – Cramlington
53 North Shields – Killingworth – Cramlington
54 Newcastle – Killingworth – Whitley Bay
55 Newcastle – Forest Hall (Meadway)
553 (Arriva propose to discontinue the Freeman Hospital to Battle Hill section of the route)

The deputy mayor of North Tyneside, Carl Johnson, warned that the cuts would “completely cut off communities from public transport”. Arriva said it had been “unable to find a viable alternative option” for those six routes despite “extensive efforts to find a sustainable way forward”, while it has also apologised for the disruption that will be caused by its changes around Durham and the Tees Valley.

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