TYNE AND WEAR BUS SERVICES

That this House welcomes the success of Go North East in raising the number of people using bus routes on Tyne and Wear by up to 18 per cent., which would not have been possible without the imaginative rebranding of the buses; welcomes the new link between Washington and Heworth as well as the new park and ride scheme at the Metro Centre; looks forward to further innovation including proposals to allow passengers to buy tickets via mobile phones; urges all parties with an interest in North East transport to ensure that bus services on Tyne and Wear do not leave stranded the old, young and disabled people who need them most; and calls on Nexus to publicise the availability of LinkUp services which can link up passengers to established bus routes at just 90 minutes' notice, and to commit to protecting and increasing the current secured bus services.