Figures on North East bus network shows decline in services

The number of miles being driven each year by buses across the region has plummeted by nearly 29 million since 2010, a drop of more than 30 per cent as timetables have been slashed.

There was a cut of more than eight per cent in the 12 months up to March 2023 alone, according to Labour’s analysis of Department for Transport (DfT) statistics, and that period does not include the impact of the crippling Go North East strike that wreaked havoc on the region’s bus services in the latter part of last year.

Labour accused the Conservative government of failing to fix the nation’s “broken” bus system since coming to power in 2010 and said it would return the North East’s privately-run services to public control.

However, the DfT figures show that bus mileage in the region was also falling under the last Labour government – dropping from 105 million in 2005 to 94.4 million in 2010, with the gradual dive continuing to the latest figure of 65.9 million in 2023.

That means the North East has experienced a loss of 39 million bus miles over 18 years, a 37 per cent cut to the overall network across Tyne and Wear, Durham, Northumberland, and the Tees Valley.

Alistair Ford, of North East Public Transport Users Group, said the big decline was evidence of a “failure of transport policy over the last four decades in the UK and the huge impact it has had on lives across our region”. 

He added: “By allowing bus services to be run for profit by private corporations, successive governments have overseen a massive decline in bus services, making people’s journeys more difficult, seeing communities isolated, and forcing families into expensive car ownership.

"In order to tackle social exclusion and greenhouse gas emissions from transport we need as many people as possible to be able to use a reliable, safe, accessible, and affordable bus system that connects to other public transport like our Metro and rail system. 

“Losing almost 40 per cent of our bus services over the last 20 years makes this ambition much more difficult. It is time to get buses back under public control and run services for people and planet, not for private profit.”

Bus routes across the North East have been hit by cuts over the last few years, while passengers have also been left bitterly frustrated by delays and cancellations caused by driver shortages and industrial disputes.

This reached a nadir last year when Go North East buses were left at a standstill due to a prolonged strike by Unite union members, which is thought to have impacted five million journeys between last September and December and cost the region’s economy £10 million.

In London, where bus services are controlled and tendered out by Transport for London (TfL), there was a fall in mileage of just 5 per cent from 2010 to 2023 – compared to more than 30 per cent in the North East, North West, and Yorkshire.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham last year launched the new Bee Network, bringing control over bus routes and fare prices in his area back into public hands under a franchising model.

Such a system could also be set up by the incoming North East mayor after this May’s scheduled election, with Labour’s candidate Kim McGuinness and independent Jamie Driscoll both having pledged to do so if they win.

Ms McGuinness said: “The North East has been incredibly hard hit by bus cuts, with many communities feeling cut off and isolated, while those who depend on public transport to get to work have seen life get harder and costs go up.

"As mayor I’ll change the system so public transport actually helps people find work and get around, growing our economy at the same time and making this region an even greater place to live.”

Mr Driscoll added that the North East deserves the same “world-class public transport system” that the capital has.

He added:  “There are parts of County Durham where you can’t get a bus in the evening. Whole communities are left stranded by a failing transport system, where private operators cherry-pick the most lucrative routes.”

A DfT spokesperson said: “The Government has invested over £3.5 billion since 2020 to protect, support and improve local bus services.

“With redirected funding from HS2, we have already extended the £2 single bus fare cap until the end of 2024 and allocated the first £150 million tranche of £1 billion in new funding dedicated to improving bus services across the North and the Midlands as part of our Network North plan.”

North East bus operators’ association NEBus was also contacted for a comment.