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The Tyne and Wear Integrated Transport Authority have approved three bids for new bus services. Nexus is seeking Government ‘Kickstart’ funding to boost bus services into business parks, town centres, health services and colleges. It is working together with commercial operators Go North East and Arriva on funding bids from the Department for Transport. The Tyne and Wear Integrated Transport Authority endorsed three separate bids at its meeting at 10.00am on Monday, 29 June 2009. These are: - Team Valley Links – new and revised services providing better all-day access to the trading estate from surrounding towns including Chester-le-Street, Birtley, Washington and Blaydon.
- Washington to Sunderland – better express services between town and city centre taking in Sunderland Enterprise Park.
- North Shields to Freeman Hospital and Quorum Business Park – a new route linking the Shields Ferry, North Shields town centre, Cobalt Office Park, Battle Hill for Tyne Metropolitan College and Four Lane Ends Metro.
Cllr David Wood, Chairman of the ITA, said: “These bids form a part of Nexus’ Bus Strategy for Tyne and Wear by seeking to provide new services when and where people want to travel.” Bernard Garner, Director General of Nexus, said: “Working together with bus companies we have identified a number of opportunities to seek Government Kickstart funding for better bus services. “The main criteria for a successful bid are that the services provide better links to jobs, education, retail and healthcare, and demonstrate a good chance of becoming self-supporting at the end of a three-year period. " The Department for Transport has set aside £25 million to fund Kickstart bids nationally, with a decision on which schemes are successful due in the autumn and any successful services starting in early 2010. The money is used to fund bus routes from their launch while passenger numbers grow to a point where subsidy is no-longer needed. Previous successful Kickstart bus routes in Tyne and Wear include the X47 Kingston Park-Newcastle route operated by Stagecoach and the 93/94 The Loop route operated by Go North East between Team Valley and East Gateshead, including all three new Gateshead College campuses.
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