LABOUR’S candidate for Tees Valley Metro Mayor has vowed to introduce a London-style bus system if voters elect her on Thursday.

Sue Jeffrey says she will make better buses and transport the cornerstone of her mayoralty.

She said she was the only candidate to promise to use Bus Bill powers to take over bus routes if bus firms do not improve.

“I want a public transport system that works for passengers, and if I’m elected the option for bus companies will be to either show they can improve or I will use new powers to force improvements,” she said.

After campaigning on buses across the Tees Valley, Mrs Jeffrey saw first-hand how different tickets, a lack of real time information at some stops and a bus network that doesn’t cover the entire area makes life harder for many.

That included a woman who travelled to Hartlepool to work as a domiciliary carer and has to work two hours just to pay for her bus fare.

Metro mayors will have the potential to use new powers to set fares, routes and timetables if bus companies do not introduce changes.

The system would mirror that in London, where private firms run London-branded buses for the mayor, still making a profit but following terms set by a publicly-backed mayor across Darlington, Teesside and Hartlepool.