1. Metro
Tyne and Wear Metro carries over 40 million passengers a year, and is the backbone of the area’s public transport network. The system, maintained and operated by Nexus, has 60 stations with peak time trains running every three minutes through the centre of Newcastle and Gateshead.
Metro has led the way in innovation - as the UK’s first modern light rail service, the first to be designed with disabled passengers in mind, the first to be non-smoking and the first to provide mobile phone reception within tunnels.
Since opening in 1980 it has been extended to Newcastle Airport (in 1991) providing a 20 minute link to the city centre and to Sunderland (in 2002).
We are now promoting a £580m programme to renew and upgrade Metro, the most cost-efficient urban rail network in the UK, over the next 20 years.
2. Bus services
Bus services in Tyne and Wear are provided by commercial operators who define and operate 90% of routes without regulation or subsidy. Nexus monitors bus service performance and secure the remaining approximate ten percent of routes, around 200 services or parts of services, by subsidy on behalf of the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority. We do this to ensure communities retain a bus service, particularly early in the morning, at nights and at weekends, where commercial operators are otherwise unwilling to operate. These services are also important in maintaining transport links to workplaces and hospitals.
Nexus also:
- manages major bus stations at Park Lane Sunderland, Eldon Square and Haymarket Newcastle, Gateshead Interchange, Wallsend, Jarrow, Blaydon and South Shields;
- specifies high standards for emissions on the bus services we secure;
- specifies high standards for accessibility on the bus services we secure. At least 10% of the local population have some form of disability; and about 12 % have long-term life-limiting illness or simply experience real difficulty using conventional public transport; and,
- encourages innovations such as ‘easy access’ ramps, real time information at bus stops and their surrounds, and bus priority schemes across the network. Examples include the Route 19 service in the Stephenson Jobs Corridor in North Tyneside, the QuayLink service linking Newcastle and Gateshead centres, and CentreLink to the MetroCentre shopping mall.
3. Shields Ferry
There has been a ferry across the Tyne between North and South Shields since the 14th century. Nexus runs the only remaining cross-Tyne ferry, the Shields Ferry service, which carries around 500,000 passengers per year.
The service operates between 6.45am-19.45pm Mondays to Wednesday, between 6.45am-22.50pm Thursday to Saturdays, and between 10.15am-6.00pm on Sundays. As well as running a passenger service, the ferry operates afternoon and evening river cruises and private hire trips giving people the chance to view the changing face of life and industry along the banks of the Tyne between Shields and Newcastle.
4. Assistance for disabled, elderly, and other people with mobility difficulties passengers
One of our objectives is to provide greater personal accessibility and mobility to the people of Tyne and Wear. 22% of Tyne and Wear's population have some form of disability, life-limiting long term illness, or can have great difficulty using conventional public transport.
With the Concessionary Travelscheme, Nexus has already introduced a companion pass initially available to previous members of the TaxiLink scheme as at 31 July 2008. This enables a companion to travel with the disabled person for free or at the appropriate concession when concessionary travel is available.
We promote the introduction and use of low floor, easy access buses to standards established by the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee. As a result of this and our support for jusr over 8% of the network, two thirds of the local bus fleet now meets high accessibility standards. This figure is rising as the bus fleet increasingly complies with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
By working with the local bus operators and continually reviewing and improving conventional public transport we hope to encourage more disabled passengers to use it, thereby lessening their reliance on special transport.
5. Concessionary Travel Schemes
Residents of Tyne and Wear enjoy several Concessionary Travel Schemes administered by Nexus which provide reduced price travel on different modes of transport in the county.
An estimated 50 million journeys per annum are made by elderly and disabled persons and 10 million by children. The current annual budget for the provision of Concessionary Travel is £46.5m.
Concessions for senior citizens and disabled persons
Under a National Scheme, senior citizens and disabled persons in possession of an English National Concession Card have been able to enjoy free off-peak local bus travel anywhere in England.
To qualify, a senior citizen must be of an age at which a woman becomes entitled to a state pension (which is increasing from 60 to 65) or have an eligible disability as defined in guidance issued by the Department for Transport.
Travel is available after 09:30 hours Mondays to Fridays and all day at weekends and public holidays.
Eligible residents of Tyne and Wear can also purchase a £25 annual Metro Gold Card which then allows off-peak travel at no further charge on the Tyne and Wear Metro system, Sunderland-Newcastle railway and Shields Ferry. This product is sold to non-Tyne and Wear eligible residents for £35.
For Nexus Concessionary Travel pass-holders not in possession of a Gold Card travel can be made on the ferry at a concessionary rate (currently 50p). A flat fare of 50p is also available for Nexus pass-holders (off-peak) on the local rail service between Newcastle and the MetroCentre/Blaydon.
The scheme allows, as a further benefit to Tyne and Wear pass-holders, travel to/from hospital at the relevant off-peak concession before 09:30 hours on Mondays to Fridays for persons in possession of a valid appointment card/letter.
All Day disabled passes
These provide the relevant concession all day and are available to eligible disabled persons attending work or education for more than 15 hours a week and who need to travel before 09:30 hours Mondays-Fridays.
Companion card
This is available to eligible disabled concessionary pass-holders who are in receipt of the higher level of the Disability Living Allowance (care element) or Attendance Allowance and allow a carer to travel free with the holder of the Companion card.
Child concessions
These are provided all day, every day of the week.
To be entitled to concessions a child must be in possession of an Under 16 Card (branded Pop card). These cards are only issued to residents of Tyne and Wear.
The expiry date on the card is the 31 July of the academic year (commences 1 September) in which a child reaches the age of 16.
The present concessionary fares are 50p single or £1 for a Child All Day ticket (branded CAT) which allows an unlimited number of journeys on the date of purchase on all local public transport in Tyne and Wear. Note that unlike the elderly/disabled this concession is not available outside the county boundary.
Operators allow children under the age of 5, accompanied by a fare-paying adult, to travel for free.
6. Helping people in education and training
Nexus is committed to helping young people attend and continue education through service provision and ticketing. For example:
We provide more than 300 scholars’ bus services used by pupils attending more than 90 schools. These services carry 2.24 million passengers every year. This network means that 95% of children in Tyne and Wear live within 40 minutes journey time by public transport of an appropriate school. Our child concessionary fare of 40p for a bus journey also offers one of the lowest fixed prices in the country.
Our Metro Student Card offers discounted travel for students attending higher education in Tyne and Wear. An annual all-zone pass is £320 compared to £399 for a standard card. Passes can be purchased for a full semester, mid-semester and summer-only basis. Passes can also be purchased for the Newcastle and Sunderland areas only.