Bus transport in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England's largest city, form a major part of the Tyne and Wear transport network, which also incorporates the Metro, Ferry and rail. However bus ticketing is not integrated with Metro, Ferry and Rail, therefore any return ticket or travel pass bought is only valid with the bus company with whom it was purchased.
Haymarket bus station and Eldon Square Bus Station are the bus transport hubs of the city and region. Both are located next to each other in the Haymarket area of Newcastle city centre.
Nexus
editThe Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive, also know as Nexus, coordinates local bus services, subsidises socially necessary but unprofitable bus services, provides public transport information and maintains bus stops and most bus stations.
Operators
editThree bus companies dominate the market in Newcastle:
Stagecoach North East
editStagecoach North East operates most services that begin and terminate the city, usually with Alexander Dennis Enviro300s and Enviro400s.
With the exception of the Quaylink and Express services, Stagecoach buses tend not to call at the bus stations, instead picking up and dropping off from numerous city centre stops. Stagecoach operates the following services in Newcastle[1]:
Quaylink
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Stagecoach also operates the QuayLink service. Its yellow hybrid electric buses operate from Central Station - Gateshead Quayside - Gateshead Interchange and [[Haymarket - Grey Street - Newcastle Quayside - Ouseburn. The service launched in 2005 and had carried a million passengers by May 2007.[2]
Arriva Northumbria
editArriva Northumbria operate more regional services northbound to Northumberland, eastbound to North Tyneside, southbound to Teeside and westbound to Northumberland and Cumbria. The fleet mainly comprises low-floor DAF buses, and high-floor Volvo Olympians. They operate the following services:
| Service | Route | Peak frequency | Timetable |
|---|---|---|---|
| X1 | Eldon Square Bus Station - Gateshead Interchange  - Low Fell - Birtley - Chester-le-Street - Plawsworth - Durham - Coxhoe - Sedgefield - Stockton on Tees - Middlesbrough
|
30 mins | [1] |
| X18 | Haymarket bus station - Regent Centre Interchange - Loansdean - Morpeth  - Stobhill - Wansbeck - Stakeford - Ashington
|
60 mins | [2] |
| X27 | MetroCentre - Eldon Square Bus Station - Peterlee - Wingate - Trimdon - Sedgefield
|
2 services per day | [3] |
Improvements
editNexus's improvements to the bus network have included the spending of £26 million on new vehicles, more low floor vehicles, improving security at interchanges, 420 buses an hour straight to the heart of Newcastle city centre and buses every few minutes to the MetroCentre from Newcastle and nearby Gateshead.[3]
References
editExternal Links
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