What were we consulting about?
We were consulting about trialling a new, peak time service operating between The Maples and Heworth Interchange. This would mean minor changes to a small number of trips on the current 568 service and one trip on the 558 service.
Why were we considering changes to this service?
The Maples is a relatively new estate situated more than 400 meters from another Bus route. It has no bus provision of its own.
What changes were we proposing?
We were planning to introduce, on a trial basis, two Monday to Friday AM/PM peak time services between The Maples Housing Development and Heworth Interchange.
We propose that the two AM trips on the current service 568 which operate via Monkton Business Park will also operate via The Maples on the return to Heworth. The 568 which currently departs Heworth at 16:18 on weekdays, will depart at 16:12 instead and operate via The Maples on its journey towards Monkton Business Park
The trips operating to/from Monkton Lane Business Park and The Maples will be numbered X68 instead of service 568.
This new service will open the housing estate at The Maples to the wider public transport network in Tyne and Wear. For example, a journey from The Maples to Monument Metro Station could take under 30 minutes*. Heworth Interchange can also be used to link with frequent Metro services towards Sunderland, South Shields and the wider Bus network, as well as Northern Rail services for the National Rail network.
Below you can see a preview of the proposed Monday to Friday timetable. There are no changes to the Saturday route and timetable.
Subject to a subsequent consultation with regards the site of a Bus Stop, the X68 would operate a one way, anti-clockwise loop of The Maples operating from Monkton Lane via Holmes Drive, Penrose Place and then Monkton Lane back towards Heworth. See the map below for a better idea of what the route would look like.
Because of these proposed changes, the 558 service which departs Heworth towards Seaburn at 16:47 on weekdays will depart at 16:50 instead and run three minutes later throughout. There are no other changes to the 558 timetable.
*X68: 07:28 The Maples, 07:39 Heworth Interchange. Metro: 07:45 Heworth Interchange, 07:54 Monument Station
How would customers be affected by our proposed changes?
A small number of trips on what is currently the 568 service and one trip on the 558 service are retimed slightly to accommodate the vehicles serving The Maples.
Your views
Following requests to provide the area with a bus service, Nexus identified resource within existing contracts which could be used to provide The Maples with a bus service to/from Heworth Interchange
As this area doesn’t have a bus service at present, we launched a consultation to gauge interest.
We received 37 responses to the consultation - 28 of which were against the introduction of the trial bus service.
We will therefore not proceed with this plan and a bus service to The Maples will not be introduced in the foreseeable future.
Several respondents suggested alternative routes which would avoid the estate roads and still provide a service to the area. We will explore the feasibility of these suggestions and take them into account when considering further bus provision in the area.
Consequently, the 558 and 568 timetables will continue unchanged from 20 July 2025. However, an extra trip on the 568 service will run Monday to Friday daytimes to from Heworth to Woods Green at 17:12