Bus fares in Northumberland could be slashed to just £1 for a single journey for under 22s

The changes would form part of the Bus Service Improvement Plan for the county, after the government awarded the North East £163.5m to enhance bus travel across the region.

Northumberland’s share of the money will be used to procure new and improved services, connect communities with new routes and improve the frequency and operating hours for existing services.

Under the new plans, single tickets for under-22s would be priced at £1 – therefore making the school run a lot cheaper for parents in rural Northumberland – while a regionwide day ticket would be just £3 for the same age bracket.

An adult day ticket for Northumberland would be £5.

A mum-of-three from Belford, whose children have to use the bus to get to school in Alnwick, said: “Cheaper bus tickets will be an amazing help to parents who are already being hit by the rising cost of living.

"At one point I was spending more than £30 a week on school transport alone, so making the journeys £1 will help me save a lot of cash that I need for other things.”

Northumberland is expected to be allocated a total of £7.8m for service improvements, although this is yet to be confirmed.

Coun John Riddle, Conservative portfolio holder for local services, welcomed the news.

Speaking at a recent meeting of Northumberland County Council’s communities and place overview and scrutiny committee, Coun Riddle said: “This is a very very good news story.

“We bid to the Department for Transport for this money through the LA7, and it was the biggest award in the country. It’s a game-changer for our rural bus services.”

Neil Easton, the council’s public transport manager, added: “It’s amazing news, fantastic. It will be really transformational for the region.”

Mr Easton added that bus travel was vital in the North East, where just 68% of households own a car; compared to the national average of 74%. However, he also pointed out that bus travel was down compared to pre-Covid levels, and had only reached around 84% of the levels seen prior to the pandemic.

But Liberal Democrat leader Jeff Reid was unconvinced.

He said: “If we’re going to have a viable, sustainable bus network in Northumberland, we’re going to need more money.

"If you compare the amount of money spent per head here to London, it is a disgrace.”

The lower ticket fares however is welcomed by many parents who have to pay to send their kids to school.