Go North East bus cuts set to hit dozens of services

Bus services in the North East have come under pressure after passenger numbers were hit by coronavirus

A North East bus company has proposed another round of cuts which are set to affect dozens of services.

Go North East expects the changes across County Durham, Gateshead, Sunderland, South Tyneside and the Tyne Valley to come into force in July.

Routes in Newcastle and North Tyneside were cut back earlier this year.

The firm said the further cuts were needed to meet changing demand, but critics described the plans as an "unwelcome development".

It had been hoped the decision to reduce more services would be put on hold until October, after the government bowed to pressure to extend Covid-19 emergency grant funding until then.

'Huge changes'

But Go North East said it was "at the point where it's clear some services won't recover to the point of being viable without changes or external support".

The operator added: "Given the huge changes in the way many people are working and living, including things like home working and online shopping, it is only right that services are adapted to efficiently meet new patterns of demand.

"We are now in a position where we need to look at making changes to ensure that our bus network is sustainable."

A full list of the proposed cuts is available to view on Go North East's website. An online consultation will run until 31 May.

Gateshead Council leader Martin Gannon, chairman of the North East Joint Transport Committee, said: "This is a very unwelcome development and communities will understandably be worried their bus services are being cut.

"It isn't clear to me why Go North East are proposing to make such widespread cuts at a time when we need buses more than ever."

Nexus, which oversees public transport in the region, put together a £4.5m rescue deal to stave off some of the reductions in Newcastle and North Tyneside and is expected to do the same this time, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.