North East Bus Takeover Delayed: Public Control Now Pushed Back to 2029

Local TV

Big plans to bring the North East’s buses back under public control are facing a long road ahead with officials now saying that the first franchised services are unlikely to be on the road until late 2029.

Transcript

00:00Big plans to bring the North East's buses back under public control are facing a long road ahead

00:05and officials now say the first franchise services are unlikely to be on the road until late 2029.

00:11The move was set in motion by Mayor Kim McGuinness on her first day in office,

00:16reversing a decades-old policy of deregulation and promising an angel network

00:21that would let the North East's combined authority set fares, routes and timetables

00:26while contracting operators to run the services.

00:28The manifesto pledge aimed to deliver public control by 2028, a target the Mayor still hopes to meet,

00:36but council officers and transport chiefs warn the overhaul will be complex and time-consuming.

00:42Members of the North East's combined authority overview and scrutiny committee

00:45heard that a franchising scheme assessment ordered last year is still being prepared

00:50and is expected to be presented back to the Mayor and her Cabinet early in 2026.

00:55The scheme must then pass a full order in a public consultation before a final decision can be taken in 2027.

01:02The North East's combined authority's transport director, Torben Hughes, told councillors that if all those steps proceed as planned,

01:09the first franchise buses would probably start running in late 2029.

01:13The combined authority stresses much work is already underway.

01:17Single bus fares have been capped at £2.50 for adults,

01:20pop-smart ticketing will be upgraded to introduce fare capping across bus, metro and ferry journeys

01:25and an online integrated journey planner is planned for 2026.

01:30But critics say the scale of the reform means ministers would need to fast-track permissions

01:35if the timetable is to be brought forward.

01:37For now, the decision rests with the Mayor and her Cabinet

01:40after the formal assessments and consultations are complete.

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