Reprieve for failing bus routes

Councillors want to make buses commercially viable again

Rural bus services in Northumberland have been saved after council bosses agreed to bail out failing routes.

The county council is to bridge a £60,000 gap to secure two routes which bus firm Northumberland Coaches said were no longer viable.

The council has pledged to reduce subsidies for under-used services in an effort to make £8m of budget savings.

But council bosses said the axing of the routes would leave some communities without any public transport links.

The cash will allow the 414 service from Pegswood to Newcastle and the 516 from Thropton to Newcastle to operate until the end of the year.

Replacement buses

David Laux, divisional director for highways and transportation with Northumberland County Council, said: "We did not expect that the entire 414 and 516 daytime services would be withdrawn by the operator.

"This has left a lot of passengers extremely concerned.

"We had looked at providing a replacement bus three times a day, but this still left communities without a service.

"We have listened to what local people have told us and gone back and had talks with the bus company.

"We are pleased to say that this service will continue until we can really gauge all the options."

The 414 and 516 will run as normal, but with the loss of later evening services from Sunday to Thursday.

Northumberland County Council said it spends about £600,000 a year on subsidising bus services.