Councillor urges South Shields residents to maintain bus service change pressure
Residents are being asked to maintain bus change pressure.
Councillor Susan Traynor, of the Cleadon Park and Harton Moor ward, is calling on residents to maintain pressure on Stagecoach after changes were made to bus services in South Tyneside.
Cllr Traynor has previously expressed her concerns at changes to the number 12 service from South Shields Interchange to The Lonnen, which now operates hourly rather than half-hourly.
She has stated that the changes were “forced through” with little consultation to members of the public and that they are “adversely affecting” residents in her ward.
Speaking at a recent East Shields Community Forum, she said: “The Lonnen is at the highest point of South Shields and is heavily populated by bungalows for the elderly.
“It also has one of the lowest car ownerships in the borough.
“This decision has also had a detrimental effect on those residents who use the service to travel to work and is not acceptable.”
Residents who have been impacted by the changes have recently launched a petition to urge Stagecoach to temporarily reinstate the number 12 service to its original operating time and follow an 18-week consultation process.
Cllr Traynor has offered her support, adding: “I am confident that if we maintain momentum on this issue, we will eventually secure a half-hourly service for residents at The Lonnen.
“I have asked for this matter to be discussed at the next East Shields Community Forum with advice on how the new Bus Services Bill might be used to reinstate this much needed service.”
On the back of all the changes, Cllr Traynor has welcomed the Government’s new Bus Services Bill, which will empower Councils and Metro Mayors to prevent sudden cuts to services.
It follows Kim McGuinness, the North East Mayor, advising that the North East Transport Authority does not currently have the power to force Stagecoach to reinstate the frequency of the number 12 service.
Steve Walker, the Managing Director of Stagecoach North East, has previously told residents that the changes to services come at a time when the company is making decisions across the UK following the increase in National Insurance for employers, and above average pressures on wage rises.
Mr Walker also flagged that passenger numbers on buses across South Tyneside are continuing to “lag some way short of pre-pandemic levels, and this has impacted the financial performance of the wider business”.
You can view the resident’s petition at: https://www.change.org/p/reinstate-lifeline-bus-route-number-12.
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