THE £2 bus fare cap has been extended.
Stagecoach and Arriva will continue to offer discount rates across the district as part of £155m measures to help passengers save money.
The £75m cap scheme will be rolled out for a further three months to encourage more people to travel on public transport. The package had been due to end in March.
It comes as the Government has also pledged up to £80m to support services from April 1 to June 30.
At a meeting of the North East Joint Transport Committee (JTC), Transport North East managing director Tobyn Hughes said: "It is welcome news.
"We had been anticipating some very major cuts to bus services, between 10 and 20 per cent across the region, if that funding was not renewed, so it is very welcome to hear that it will continue for at least three months.”
It comes amid complaints of delays and short-notice cancellations and at a time of decreased use.
New figures show the number of bus journeys taken in Northumberland has fallen by almost half over the last decade.
Department for Transport figures show passengers took 5.8m bus journeys in Northumberland in the year to March - up from 2.9m the year before - impacted by the pandemic - but down on pre-Covid levels.
In 2019-20, the last full year before the pandemic, passengers in the county took eight million journeys.
In January this year, £19.5m Levelling Up funding was awarded to the region to deliver 52 new electric buses and 92 vehicle chargers.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “Travelling by bus remains the most popular option for commuters and families across the country, but the sector is still trying to recover after the end of the pandemic.
“We’re providing £155 million to help passengers save money on fares, get more people on the bus and protect vital bus routes – helping with the cost of living and enabling people to get where they need to in an affordable and convenient way.”
Go North East was contacted about whether it was continuing the scheme.
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