Step forward for plans to bring North East buses under public control
Plans to bring North East buses back under public control have taken a step forward after council leaders signed off mayor Kim McGuinness' plans.
At a meeting on 17 March 2026, the North East Combined Authority Cabinet unanimously agreed for a detailed Bus Franchising Scheme Assessment to be submitted for independent audit and public consultation, after which a final decision will be taken early next year.
Returning the region's bus network to public control could mean passengers benefit from a new performance regime to make buses more reliable, simple and affordable fares which work across all public transport and a single website for information, payment and customer service.
Under the plans, public transport in the North East would be brought together under a single identity across towns and cities stretching from Barnard Castle and Newton Aycliffe on the border with Yorkshire all the way to Berwick on the Scottish Border, making it the largest scheme of its kind in England by geography as well as serving the cities of Newcastle, Durham and Sunderland.
North East mayor Kim McGuinness said: "Buses should work for people across our region – whether you're travelling in the city centre, from rural towns and villages, or along our coast. We have already stepped in with the Mayor's Fares to make travel more affordable by paying bus companies to make tickets cheaper. Now we can go further.
"I've always been clear I want to see buses back under public control as a way to deliver the improvements we all want to see. I said I would do this in my manifesto, and today we have taken a huge step forward.
"This opens the way for everyone in the North East to have their say on our plans. That's going to happen this summer before we make a final decision."
Council leaders were told the Franchising Scheme Assessment showed public control would mean more passenger journeys, more services, lower fares and greater value for public money when compared with an alternative partnership agreement with bus operators – but that there were also risks associated with moving to and operating a franchise in which private companies deliver services under contract to a public body.
Subject to a successful audit, the 600-page assessment will move to public consultation this summer, giving local people the opportunity to shape the future of their bus services.