The region’s largest bus company, Go North East, has invested £1.8 million in 11 brand-new, state of the art, environmentally friendly buses for its popular Green Arrow services.
The buses build on the operator’s existing investment, which has already seen 170 low-emission buses join the fleet in recent years, and a total of £12 million set to be invested in further better buses over the next 12 months.
The new Green Arrow buses, which were built in the north at the Scarborough factory of Alexander Dennis, will be rolled out over the next fortnight onto the company’s 97 route which serves Newcastle, Gateshead, Bensham, Lobley Hill, Whickham, Swalwell and intu Metrocentre with buses running up to every 15 minutes.
With a striking green livery, the buses are packed full of creature comforts and the latest technology including comfortable luxury seating with mobile phone holders, free Wi-Fi, media tables featuring wireless charging pads and at-seat USB charging points. There is also no need to worry about missing your stop, as the buses are fitted with next stop audio and visual passenger information systems.
Go North East will be holding some launch events over the coming weeks so people can come and see one of the buses and talk about the services, with full details to be published soon.
Travel on the route is available from just £4.50 a day and £17 a week within the Gateshead Go Local Saver ticket zone, or for those travelling into Newcastle the purple Go Zone ticket is available for £5.30 a day or £20 a week when bought in advance on the Go North East app (£23 on the bus).
Additionally, anyone aged between 5 and 25 can get unlimited travel on Go North East buses for £4.50 a day and £17 a week, with those aged under 19 also having the option of travelling for just £1.20 per journey. ID is required for anyone aged or looking 16 or over.
Martijn Gilbert, Managing Director at Go North East, said: “These buses represent the next round of major investments here at Go North East and we are delighted to be bringing these state of the art, environmentally friendly buses into service for the people of Newcastle and Gateshead.
“They will replace some of the oldest buses in our fleet to allow for cleaner, greener travel, offering the best possible service to customers. This, combined with recent changes to our fares to offer even greater value, is part of our commitment to making bus travel more attractive and encouraging more people on board, helping to keep our towns and cities moving by tackling rising congestion and improving air quality.”