Buses set for "major improvements" as £118m plan approved

Plans include launching a flat £1 fare for people under the age of 22

Multimillion-pound funding has been approved for "major improvements" to local bus services.

The North East Bus Service Improvement Plan will get almost £118m over the next two years, the Department for Transport confirmed.

The plan sees a formal partnership between bus operators and councils.

Proposals include launching a flat £1 fare for people under the age of 22, along with "better" multi-operator ticketing options for adults.

Councillor Martin Gannon, Gateshead Council leader and chair of the North East Joint Transport Committee, said the improvements would make buses "faster, greener and easier to use".

He said the agreement would "also help us to keep bus networks stable during turbulent financial times". 

The funding will cover the first two years of the plan, with a further announcement still due on the remaining £45.7m to fund the third year, strategy group Transport North East said.

The government funding has come from the National Bus Strategy.

Ben Maxfield, chair of NEBus, the local operators' association, welcomed the plan.

"We and the various operators are excited to continue working with Transport North East to deliver enhancements to bus services across the region," he added.