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More buses and better value tickets introduced by Go North East with service enhancements from Saturday
From tomorrow (Saturday 5 September), Go North East are introducing a whole host of improvements to its bus services and tickets to make it easier for people to get out and about and to help support local shops, businesses, leisure venues, schools and colleges. There will also be minor changes to a small number of services.
Further increases to services from Saturday 5 September
Most bus services are already running to timetables that are similar to pre-coronavirus times, but from Saturday Go North East will also be improving evening and Sunday frequencies, so it will be even easier to reconnect with the faces and places you love.
There will also be some services returning for the first time since the pandemic, including the N21 Night Bus between Durham and Newcastle, service X22 between Durham and Metrocentre, and the Durham Cathedral Bus.
Back to school and college – safety measures, extra buses and a new School Tripper ticket
Go North East have launched its back to school safely travel guide, which contains all the information you need to know about bus bubbles, dedicated school transport, public services and the new £12 School Tripper ticket, which allows contact-free travel.
The company will also be running over 50 extra buses, alongside its normal network, to ensure capacity is increased so that students can get back to school and college safely.
New, better than ever bus ticketing initiatives
Go North East is launching new Go Local Day and Weekly Saver tickets, Consett will become part of the Green GoZone for cheaper travel in County Durham, and there will also be more Flexi 5 ticket options to help those working part-time or spending some of their week working from home.
As part of the improvements to the Go Local ticket range, the company is introduced new options in Durham and Houghton-le-Spring to make bus travel even cheaper.
The company has also launched a 2 for 1 ‘Bus Out to Help Out’ offer on its £3.50 evening ticket, following the success of the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme.
Major upgrade to Go North East’s X9 and X10 buses between Middlesbrough and Newcastle, including changes to some bus stops
The routes will be operated by luxury coaches from 5 September to improve reliability and customer comfort on what it is the company’s longest route. and the modern coaches will come with USB charging, power sockets, air-conditioning and comfy reclining seating.
These coaches will be running on the service until autumn, before bigger and even better ones arrive with all the same creature comforts, as well as having free onboard Wi-Fi.
The route will no longer serve Eldon Square in Newcastle. Instead, the coaches will terminate at the bus stop opposite St Andrew’s Church, near The Gate.
Clean and Covid secure, but please don’t forget your face covering and try to pay with a contactless bankcard or buy in advance on our app
Go North East is carrying out enhanced cleaning on all its buses to ensure that they are clean, safe and comfy – all of the latest guidance around social distancing on board and bus bubbles can be viewed here.
Face coverings are required by anyone aged 11 and over, on both public service buses and school buses – subject to government exemptions which can be viewed in Go North East’s guidance.
The company would also prefer it if you used an alternative to cash such as contactless or the Go North East app, as its drivers are unable to give change. If your child is using the bus, you could both download the Go North East app and then you will be able to buy and gift bus tickets – sending them directly to their phone from yours.
If you child needs to use cash, please send them out with the correct change and do not forget their face covering.
Commenting on all the improvements, Go North East’s managing director, Martijn Gilbert, said: “We’re delighted to be introducing so many improvements to help make travel easier for people across the region as the economy continues to unlock and people return to normal travelling patterns.
“We know students are returning to school and college, and some people to work, so we want to assure them that our buses are clean, safe and comfy. It’s also really important that we do all we can to minimise the risk of increased congestion on our roads, so ensuring that we’re providing full service levels and additional school buses is an important part of ensuring buses can continue to provide a cost effective and low carbon way of getting around.
“These improvements will take the quality of our service offering to new levels and are just the start, with more new vehicles and initiatives set to come on stream over the coming months to further enhance the appeal and experience of bus travel with Go North East.”
