City councillors have welcomed three new bus services providing important new local links in Washington.
All three services are paid for by Nexus using funding from local authorities to supplement the commercial bus network.
Councillor John Kelly, who represents Washington North and is Chair of the Washington Area Committee, said: “We have listened to local residents and worked with Nexus to provide bus services that will be of real value to the local community.
“These three new routes provide a real improvement to the overall network of local bus services in Washington.”
Councillor James Blackburn, the Sunderland City Council cabinet member for Attractive and Inclusive City, said: “Good bus links are a vital part of sustaining and developing local communities.
“We work closely with Nexus and Go North East in Washington to identify areas where people’s lives can be improved by creating new links to shops, health facilities and other services.”
The new 23 route will run hourly from Washington Galleries serving London Avenue, where it replaces the W6, and the full length of Blackfell Road, providing a new bus service for residents.
A second new bus route, service 37, will link Washington Galleries with Doxford International Business and Technology Parks and Doxford Park shops via Shiney Row and the Herringtons, replacing Go North East service 37. In addition it will serve the Biddick Woods estate in place of service X3.
And the existing 73 has been extended to serve the Coach Road estate once per hour, replacing W2 and W3 services withdrawn earlier this month.
All three routes were introduced from 13 June, the date of widespread bus service changes by commercial operators.
Nexus and Sunderland City Council are working together with bus operators on a wider review of publicly-funded bus routes in the Sunderland area, around 10% of the total network.
Following a series of community roadshow events outlining its proposals, Nexus is sifting through hundreds of responses from members of the public.
It will publish a final set of proposals later this year with the aim to introduce them in spring 2011.
In the photo are Sunderland councillors John Kelly (left) and James Blackburn with Phil Southall (right) of Go North East at Concord bus station in Washington, with the extended 73 bus service.