Fewer buses will be on the road from this weekend as Go North East responds to a dip in passenger numbers while focusing its efforts on meeting key workers' needs.
An emergency timetable will come into effect from Saturday, March 28 with a series of changes which still will see all routes covered but not necessarily by the usual colour buses.
Services will run at least hourly and the bus company is committed to its extra early morning daily journeys for key workers which it added to 12 of its routes in response to customer feedback.
It also intends to continue catering for those needing to visit the shops or healthcare while reducing other travel in response to a whopping 85% plummet in bus use due to the coronavirus crisis as well as its health and safety concerns for the drivers.
Routes will be covered every hour and the busiest services will run up to every half an hour.
The company says it has been closely monitoring passenger numbers on all buses to ensure people can keep a safe distance from each other even with fewer buses on the road.
The number of depots will be consolidated and various buses will be allocated to routes regardless of their usual colour schemes.
Martijn Gilbert, managing director at Go North East, said: “We’re working hard to provide the right level of service as we balance the needs of our communities in connecting key workers and providing essential journeys for those who need them, as well as the safety, wellbeing and long-term job security of our colleagues.
“Having seen an 85% drop in passenger numbers means we must adapt our operations.
"We also need to reduce the number of colleagues working - following the Government’s advice for as many people as possible to stay at home - especially those with any vulnerabilities themselves or with family members."
He added: “I am immensely proud of the hard work and resilience shown by our team as we continue to play our part in keeping the essential parts of society moving during this crisis.
"You can be assured that we will continue to do all we can to keep every part of our network connected with services for key workers and essential journeys.”
Passengers are urged to follow the social distancing guidelines at all times and to check Go North East's website and social media channels for updates rather than call its customer services team.
For the new bus timetables which are coming into operation see here.
