00:00The North East will be given a £23.8 million share as announced by the Transport Secretary over the weekend.
00:07The money comes from a 12-month extension to the Bus Service Improvement Plan funding, which was due to run out after March 2025.
00:14It was feared that without the funding, publicly subsidised bus routes previously deemed unprofitable by private operators would again be at risk of being cancelled.
00:23North East Mayor Kim McGuinness announced on Monday that she would also be using the money to continue the offer of £1 fares for young people aged 21 and under, as part of a broader £55 million package aimed at tackling child poverty.
00:36Unlike some other parts of the North, however, there will not be any cash towards an extension of the £2 fare cap for adult passengers, which the Labour government announced last month will rise to £3 in 2025.
00:48The North East Combined Authority indicated that maintaining the £1 fare for young people for a full year was Ms McGuinness' priority, and that bosses would be sitting down with bus operators to discuss introducing other lower prices.
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