Bus passengers in Sunderland’s rural coalfields region will see two local routes altered from May 31, but this will not result in any loss of service.
The 79 and the 79A, which connect Barnwell in Penshaw with Houghton-le-Spring and Hall Lane and Fence Houses, are to be withdrawn from Sunday May 31.
Go North East will be replacing the service 79 with an extended service 238, and they will also be operating a Nexus subsidised service, 239, to replace the 79A evening service.
The timetables for these services will have minor changes though the services will still operate hourly.
Service 238 will be extended from Houghton-le-Spring to Barnwell via Newbottle, and in Hall Lane Estate the service will be revised to run via Queensway and Nesham Place.
This service will replace current Nexus subsidised service 79, creating a number of new direct connections to locations such as Shiney Row and Newbottle from Seaham.
Service 238 will continue to run between Sunderland, Ryhope, Seaham and Hougthon-le-Spring, and will continue to co-ordinate with service 38 to provide a bus every 20 minutes between Sunderland and Hollycarrside.
An evening service will also be provided between Barnwell and Fence Houses to replace the current Nexus service 79A, which will be numbered 239.