NEW checks are being introduced on buses in the North-East to prevent the misuse of concessionary bus passes meant for older and disabled people.

From August 30 smart ticket machines on buses in both Northumberland and the Tees Valley will be programmed to indicate whether a concessionary bus pass has been cancelled.

Where a pass is not valid the customer may in future be asked to pay the appropriate fare and the pass may be confiscated by the driver.

A publicity campaign has been launched to advise passengers of the change.

The new checks will reduce potential misuse and fraud while protecting passengers who are entitled to concessionary travel. They will be rolled out to all parts of the region in the new year.

All bus ticket machines use a common technology as part of the local authority-led roll-out of smart travel in the region known as the North East Smart Ticketing Initiative.

The machines will be able to detect is a pass has been cancelled.

An amnesty period of around a month means anyone innocently using a cancelled pass will have time to sort it out.

Posters with details on how to do this are being displayed on buses, at bus stations and in travel centres.

Once the amnesty period has passed, payment may be required and free travel refused if a pass is not valid.