Hospital route buses saved from being scrapped

The routes in Gateshead will be taken over by Go North East on 21 July

Two bus services which take passengers to a hospital have been saved from being scrapped.

The 67 and 69 buses run from Wardley in the east of Gateshead, via Queen Elizabeth Hospital, to Metrocentre and Winlaton in the west.

Gateshead Council said the route's eastern part had been at risk of being scrapped by Go North East, who are due to take over later this month.

But Tyne and Wear Metro operator Nexus has now said it will fund this part of the routes.

Go North East ran the buses until June 2022 when the company said a lack of passengers made them uneconomical. This led to Nexus taking over the routes.

With Go North East agreeing to run the services from 21 July, it had been unclear if it would continue the eastern part of the journey.

Labour councillor John McElroy described the routes as "vital".

He said: "Many of our residents either don't have a car or have to manage on low incomes, so it's really important that we keep buses like this, both for patients and hospital visitors."