The Sunderland Connect bus service begins its summer timetable this weekend – linking the city’s visitor attractions with is spectacular coastline.
From Saturday 28 July the popular ‘700’ Sunderland Connect route will link Harbour View and Marine Walk to the city centre.
Sunderland Connect, which is operated with a fleet of greener hybrid buses, already passes the Empire Theatre, Stadium of Light, Aquatic Centre, St Peter’s Church, National Glass Centre and Winter Gardens – as well as city centre shops, rail and Metro stations.
The bus route, launched last year, is a partnership between Sunderland City Council, University of Sunderland and Nexus.
The summer timetable sees Sunderland Connect extended to the coast for six weeks instead of serving university halls in and around Millfield while students are away.
Sunderland City Council Portfolio Holder for City Services, Councillor James Blackburn said: “This is a convenient and energy efficient way to enjoy our beautiful coastline.
“We are keen to work with our partners to encourage even more people to use public transport, and I’m sure that this service will be very popular over the summer as families take the opportunity to visit the many events, attractions and activities that our city has to offer.”
Tobyn Hughes, Nexus Director of Customer Services, said: “Sunderland Connect has proved very popular since it was launched last September, and the summer timetable takes local people and visitors straight to the city’s spectacular coastline.”
Buses run every 30 minutes, with an all-day hop-on-hop-off ticket just £2 for adults and £1 for children (with an Under-16 Pop card). The summer timetable is in place from 28 July until 18 September.
More than 6,000 people per week use the bus service, and a third hybrid vehicles is due to be added to provide a more frequent service later this year, using grant funding from the Government’s Green Bus Fund.
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