Details and support of the bid

North East MPs and transport leaders are backing a new £19.5m bid to decarbonise transport in the North East through the delivery of new electric buses and Electric Vehicle (EV) charging facilities for local people.

The bid, developed in partnership by Transport North East on behalf of the North East Joint Transport Committee, Arriva North East, Go North East, Stagecoach and the seven local authorities, was submitted to Government as part of the Levelling Up Fund (Round 2). The submission was endorsed by Liz Twist, MP for Blaydon.   

If successful, the funding will boost the zero carbon transport options available for people in the North East – both by investing in additional electric buses which will operate across the region and new EV chargers which will encourage more people to consider switching to a zero-emission vehicle. 

The bid would fund 52 new high-quality zero emission buses which would join the public transport network alongside supporting infrastructure. Buses would operate on eight of the highest frequency bus routes across the North East. These routes experience some of the highest levels of air pollution, with this investment part of the strategy for a zero-emission transport system.

The funding would also provide 92 new EV chargers across 36 regional sites. These would include Park & Ride locations and other key destinations to encourage multi-modal journeys which use public transport for at least part of the journey.

North East MPs and transport leaders onboard an electric bus

Cllr Martin Gannon, Chair, North East Joint Transport Committee, said: “If we are successful in securing this £19.5m investment, we will greatly improve the availability of zero carbon transport options for local people – allowing greener journeys to work, school and leisure opportunities.

“The project would improve our air quality while reducing congestion on our roads and noise pollution which is great news all round. High-tech electric buses offer a modern, comfortable journey for passengers and, for those who do need to drive, an enhanced network of EV chargers at Park and Ride sites we hope will encourage more people to use public transport for part of their journeys.

“I hope the Government sees the strength of the North East Levelling Up Fund bid and the support it has – we are determined to secure funding needed to drive forward ambitious local projects which greatly improve our transport network.”

Outcome of the bid

The North East Combined Authority was informed that the bid was successful and we are in the delivery stages of the project. A copy of the bid is available here.